Butterflies Cause Hurricanes
by Liz-Beth520
Summary: How would Lorelai's life be changed if she chose to marry Chris when Rory was born? Would Luke be different if Anna told him about April right away? What would Stars Hollow be life if the Gilmore girls just arrived when Rory was 16? Could all those decisions affect their lives forever? JavaJunkie, AU, T to be safe, multi-chapter.
1. Prologue

**Hi all! I just finished bingeing Gilmore Girls and I had one main question. What would have happened if Lorelai and Christopher had gotten married when they found out she was pregnant? I looked and looked for a fic with that sort of idea, and I only found one, but its plot was different than what I was trying to find. So I decided to write one myself.**

 **(A/N: I use page breaks in two ways: 1) to signal a time jump, usually between days or months. 2) I wrote this using rotating 3rd person POV, so I switch between Lorelai and Luke, and I use page break to signify the switch. I think it's better without specifying who it's centered on, but if not, shoot a reply and I'll adjust by adding Lor POV and Luke POV.)**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, obviously, though some dialogue is from the show.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"It is in your moments of decision that your destiny is shaped," Tony Robbins. How would Lorelai's life be different if she chose to marry Chris when Rory was born? Would Luke change if Anna told him about April right away? If Lorelai hadn't run away, would she still reject her family's lifestyle? What would Stars Hollow be life if the Gilmore girls just arrived in 2000? Could all those decisions affect their lives forever? JavaJunkie, slightly AU, T to be safe, multi-chapter.

* * *

Early 1984…

As Emily and Richard Gilmore discussed the "problem" with Francine and Straub Hayden, Lorelai and Christopher listened from the stairs in the front hallway. The "problem" was the fact that Lorelai was pregnant and Chris was the father.

"Your mom's losing it," Lorelai said to Chris. They could hear Francine wailing two rooms over.

"This is a mess," Chris said, looking at his hands. Their parents had been arguing for an hour. For the first time that night, Lorelai's father spoke.

"They will get married. They will live here. And Christopher will go to work at my company. That is the solution," Richard stated. Lorelai and Chris shared a look.

"We're going to need their help," Chris said after Richard left the parlor.

"We can take care of ourselves. We'll figure it out," Lorelai said, not wanting her parents to control her entire life. That baby was the only thing that her mother couldn't control, and Lorelai wanted to keep it that way.

"It sounds okay, working for your dad, living here. I have to get a job," Chris justified.

"No!" Lorelai rejected.

"I have to make money."

"No!" She repeated. She loved him, but she didn't think she loved him enough to marry him. She was only 16, after all.

"It's okay, really. I wouldn't mind." Chris was being sweet. He was doing the right thing, at least in her parents' eyes. Lorelai thought for a moment. She thought about her options, what was best for the baby. She didn't want her child growing up like she did. She didn't want her parents to ruin a perfectly good kid. But she didn't have a plan, a job, or money of her own. She looked out the small window by the stairs, and for a moment, she watched a couple of butterflies fly around the flowers. Lorelai looked at her boyfriend and slowly nodded.

"Okay," she said quietly.

"Okay? Okay what?"

"Okay, let's get married. We'll live here and raise our baby. Let's do it."

"Really?" For the first time since she gave him the news, Chris seemed excited about the pregnancy. Lorelai thought once more.

"Yes," she confirmed, a small pit growing in her stomach. Did she make the right choice? Should she have broken up with him, run away? Time would tell.

* * *

 **I hope you liked it, it's been a while since I've written something on here.**

 **R &R! **


	2. Where are they now

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gilmore Girls, obviously, though some dialogue is from the show.**

* * *

16 years later…

"Chris? Rory? I'm home," Lorelai called as she entered their large house. She just got back from shopping after a stressful day at work with the Durham Group. Three work meetings then a DAR dinner. "Oh family," she sang. Nothing. The maid, Liliana, took Lorelai's six shopping bags and her coat.

"Gracias Lil," Lorelai said. Liliana told her there was dinner in the kitchen for her and the drink cart was set up in the parlor. Lorelai decided to follow the booze and went to make herself a drink. In the parlor sat Chris, facing away from her, slouched on the loveseat.

"Chris, why didn't you answer? I've been calling," Lorelai asked, walking around to face her husband. She saw the drink in his hand and had a feeling it wasn't the first one he had that night.

"Where the hell have you been?" He asked loudly. _Yup, at least 5 drinks,_ she thought.

"I went shopping. I had a bad day and I needed some retail therapy. I left a message."

"That was hours ago," he groaned.

"I called after work. Then I had a DAR meeting where my mother scolded me for my outfit. So when I went shopping, I got clothes specifically to wear for those dumb meetings. Wanna see?" Lorelai always tried to stay positive. She made movie references and bad jokes whenever possible, but Chris wasn't giving her anything to work with. He just sat there, glaring at her.

"Fine," he said shortly. Their first couple years of marriage were great. They were really in love, they were best friends, and they were happy. But, as time went on, that changed. Chris' job became more stressful and time consuming, much like Richard's was before he took an early retirement. When Richard retired, Chris was put in charge of more clients than he could handle. He was absent from family dinners and functions, leaving Lorelai to raise Rory. Chris became rough, stoic, and unloving. Sometimes, Lorelai found herself struggling to remember why she loved him.

"Fine? Fine what? I wanted to go shopping, is that a crime?"

"No, nevermind," he said, taking a last gulp of his drink. He got up to make another.

"Where's Rory?" Lorelai decided to change subjects.

"Rory?" Chris asked. Lorelai couldn't help but to roll her eyes.

"Yes, Rory, about 5'6", brunette, blue eyes, shares our DNA?"

"Damn it, Lor, I know," he sighed, annoyed with his wife.

"Where is she?"

"She's out with her boyfriend?"

"Which one?"

"Tristan, I think. They both look alike."

"How can you not know which boy your daughter is going out with?" Lorelai scolded. Chris just looked at her.

"Who are you going out with?" He asked. Lorelai wasn't even shocked that he asked. This happened too often.

"Excuse you?" She was tired of this, of him.

"You're cheating on me, aren't you?" He accused. Lorelai threw her arms to her sides.

"Yes, in between driving Rory to school, work, DAR, and weekly lunches and dinner with my parents, I definitely have time to cheat on you. No, Chris, I am not cheating on you," Lorelai was getting sick of the same argument every week.

"So if you had time, you would cheat!" He yelled.

"No! God no, what would you say that! We're married, that means something… Go to bed Chris, you aren't yourself," she said while thinking, _at least not your sober self. Actually, if he's drunk the majority of the time, then is that his true self? Or is sober self the true self?_ She held out her hand to get him upstairs.

"Leave me alone," he pushed her arm away. Lorelai looked down at her husband. 16 years of marriage, filled with about 12 years of unhappiness. Of course, there were good times, but overall, she hated being with him. He drank too much and barely interacted with Rory. He was hardly a husband, much less a father. He was so much better before he started working for her father.

Lorelai made herself a drink, left the parlor, and walked upstairs to her room. She and Christopher hadn't shared a bedroom in years, and that's how she liked it.

* * *

The next morning, Lorelai was making coffee when Rory entered the kitchen.

"Good morning kiddo, how was your date last night," Lorelai asked. "I didn't hear you come in." Rory shrugged, grabbing a travel mug and waiting for it to brew.

"Tristan broke up with me, again," she was so nonchalant about it.

"Really? What's that, like the 3rd time now?" Lorelai asked, moving her travel mug under the spout, then Rory quickly moved hers when her mom was done.

"4th, remember the two day thing during winter break last year?"

"Ah yes, the Brad thing. How is he doing with it?"

"He doesn't mind. He and Tristan are still friends, they don't mind the other taking me out."

"Ah, just like shared custody," Lorelai said. As much as she didn't like her daughter dating two guys at once, Lorelai knew that she couldn't do anything about it. As long as Rory was being safe and her grades were good and, most importantly, she was happy, Lorelai stayed out of Rory's love life unless asked. They hadn't had a nice heart to heart in a long time. Even though Lorelai was on her own to raise Rory, she still worked. Too often was Rory left at home with Liliana instead of with her parents. At that moment, Chris walked in, rubbing the back of his head.

"Morning dear," Lorelai said. They put on a show for Rory, even though they didn't sleep in the same room. Rory seemed to buy it, so they kept doing it.

"Morning," he said, without a look, so much as a kiss.

"Mom, Dad, I'm going to be home late tonight. Paris, the girls, and I are going to be working on a project."

"For which class?" Lorelai asked.

"English, Mr. Medina assigned an oral book report presentation." _The cute teacher_ , Lorelai thought.

"Ooo, which book?" Lorelai asked excitedly. Rory had definitely changed throughout the years, but the one thing that hadn't changed was her love of books. She had at least two books on her at all times.

"War of the Worlds. The presentation is just an overview and an analysis of the themes and characters, nothing too major, it shouldn't take too long."

"Want me to pick you up? I'll be running around all day, we could get dinner. Want to meet up somewhere, Chris? Chris," Lorelai tried getting her husband's attention. He was digging through the cupboards looking for some aspirin.

"Huh, what?"

"Dinner, food, tonight? Do you want to meet up after Rory's thing?"

"Can't tonight, your dad has me meeting with a new client at the club. Maybe tomorrow," he dismissed. Even though Richard was technically retired, he still had power of the company. Lorelai was hurt and irritated, but she didn't let it show.

"Alrighty, then we've got a date," she said to her daughter. Rory gave a small smile. "Let's go, I have a meeting I can't miss today."

"Wait," Chris said as the girls were leaving the room. Lorelai took a deep breath, preparing herself for an interrogation.

"Yeah?" She asked, turning to face him. He was leaning against a chair, pills in one hand, glass in the other. He took the pills before asking the question.

"Where are you going?"

"To Chilton, so your daughter can get an overpriced education that she needs to get into Yale."

"No, after that. Where's your meeting?" He asked.

"Mike is sending me to this small town to meet with a woman, Mia Bass. I'm supposed to talk her into selling her inn," Lorelai explained.

"Really?"

"Yes, really."

"Where is it?"

"It's about an hour away from here, past Chilton. Stars Hollow."

* * *

 **Another short chapter, but they get longer after this. I have most of the chapters written already, and I plan on posting every few days.**

 **Luke centered POV is in the next chapter.**

 **R &R!**


	3. Hurricane Lorelai

**Thanks everyone for all your kind reviews! Some of you are pretty spot about Chris, btw. You get to meet some Stars Hollow favorites in this chapter.  
**

 **R &R!**

* * *

 **Hurricane Lorelai**

The moment Lorelai drove into Stars Hollow, she was in love. The small town trope was one of her favorites. She watched enough _Little House on the Prairie_ and _Happy Days_ to know that small towns are more like a family than a community. Plus, the gossip is the best. She drove through town, looking at the small stores and the school. At a stop sign, she saw a tall shaggy haired boy was walking by himself past a group of cheerleaders, who checked him out. A small Asian girl left a cute antique shop, her mother watching her every move.

When Lorelai got to the Independence Inn, she was instantly impressed. It had the appearance of a high-class establishment, but still felt homey. Maybe it was the small town vibe seeping in. She walked up to the front desk where a man sat, reading a French magazine. His name tag read 'Michel.'

"Hi, I'm Lorelai Gilmore with the Durham Group. I have a meeting with Mia Bass," she said in her friendliest tone with a smile. The man looked up at her from his magazine, then slowly looked at the desk calendar.

"Yes," he said with a heavy French accent, "so you do. Mia just went to the kitchen, right through there," he pointed the doors across the room.

"Merci," she said politely, making a mental note to give him a happy meal. Lorelai made her was to the kitchen, where a large crash filled the air as soon as she touched the door. She ran inside to find a woman in a floral chef's uniform on the floor, surrounded by pots and pans. Half a dozen kitchen staff rushed to her aide and an elderly woman watched with amused concern.

"I'm okay! I'm okay," the woman said as she stood up, only to slip once again, and Lorelai caught her.

"Hey there," Lorelai said. The woman wasn't even embarrassed, and the staff obviously was used to this woman's clumsiness.

"Hi, I'm Sookie, head chef," she held out her hand once she was upright, which Lorelai shook.

"I'm Lorelai Gilmore, from the Durham Group. I'm looking for Mia Bass?" She asked. The elderly woman walked from the corner.

"I'm Mia, it's a pleasure to meet you, shall we sit in the dining room?"

"Sounds great," Lorelai said.

"Sookie, send out some cucumber water?" Mia ordered politely. Sookie smiled.

"I'll bring out some hors d'oeuvres. Any allergies?" She asked me.

"Only cucumbers," Lorelai said seriously. Sookie's eyes went wide. "I'm joking! Sorry, only joking. No, no allergies, thanks for asking." Sookie and her staff went right to work as Lorelai and Mia sat in the other room,

They talked business for a while, though Mia was hesitant to sell because of her workers.

"The Durham Group would like to assure you that every employee will maintain their current status, with a sizable raise and bonus. We would like to make the transition as smooth as possible." She and Mia talked for about an hour before Mia told Lorelai that she would need a week to think about it. They ate an early lunch and Lorelai decided Sookie was one of the absolute best chefs she'd eaten from, and she'd eaten in Italy and France. Lorelai was about to leave when a coffee craving struck.

"I'm looking for a good cup of coffee," she said to Mia. "Can you recommend anything in town? Local cuisine, cute waiters?" Lorelai winked. Mia ate that up.

"Why yes, there is a darling place right on the square. Luke's Diner," Mia said. "It's got the best coffee in town, and the owner isn't too bad to look at." Lorelai got directions and she was on her way.

Lorelai followed the directions and parked in front of a small grocery store, Doose's Market. Down the street, she saw the building Mia described. It had two signs, "William's Hardware" and "Luke's." Lorelai's caffeine boost from that morning was depleting and she needed to fuel up.

Lorelai entered the diner and was impressed. The place was fairly busy and the customers seemed happy. Successful business surrounding the inn would be a huge help in guest satisfaction, as well at increasing return stays. She walked up to the counter where a scruffy faced man wearing a flannel and a backwards baseball cap was taking orders.

"Excuse me, one coffee to go please?" Lorelai asked nicely. The man looked at her, his face was stone cold as he glared at her. _Oo, a challenge_ she thought. She was always looking for a tough nut to crack. She smiled and, despite him waiting on another group, she kept pressing.

* * *

The diner was packed that day. The school board thought it was a smart idea for all the schools in the district to have a half day the second Friday of every month. Which meant every second Friday was packed with parents and their kids or teens and their friends. So, when a tall woman tore into his restaurant demanding coffee, Luke wasn't having it.

"Excuse me, one coffee _please_ ," the woman repeated. Luke looked at her. He hadn't seen her before, and by the look of her suit, she wasn't from around the area. He knew the type. Rich, pretty, and she knew it. She had a large diamond on her finger paired with a wedding band, and he mentally wished her husband luck. Luke wasn't going to give her the satisfaction of special treatment.

"Wait your turn," he said gruffly, trying to discourage any further rudeness. It didn't work. Lorelai just smiled, then proceeded to follow him around the diner.

"Come on, man, what's a girl gotta do to get a cup of coffee around here. It will take two minutes. I could already be gone by now you know."

"You're real annoying, you know that?" He snapped. She just smiled. _What is wrong with this woman?_ He thought. "Okay, sit down, shut up, and I'll get to you when I get to you." The woman finally sat down at the counter and reached over for the newspaper. Luke walked over to Miss Patty and Babette to refill their coffee.

"Luke, who is that?" Babette asked.

"Who, the tornado of a woman who won't leave me alone?"

"Yes, is she a special friend?" Asked Miss Patty. "You need a special friend, Luke. It's been a while since Anna left.

"No, Patty, I've never seen that woman before in my life. Hopefully I never will again," he said. Just then, the woman yelled across the room.

"Hey mister! When's your birthday?"

"My birthday?" He asked. There was no end to the madness.

"Yea, you know, the day you were born? Month and day," she said, still looking at the newspaper. Luke knew that he would never get rid of her if he didn't give in.

"November 9th," he said, his aggravated mood made known to the whole diner. He watched her look through the horoscopes and write something down in the paper with a pen, then ripped it out. Luke walked over to scold her about destroying other people's property. That's when she handed him the piece of paper. It read: _Today you will meet an annoying woman. Give her coffee and she'll go away._

"Will you really go away?"

"Yup," she nodded. "I'm here on business, shan't be returning anytime soon," she said with a smile and a posh accent. Luke eyed her, trying to make out if she was telling the truth or not. Either way, he gave her coffee.

"Thanks pal, you're an angel," she said. The woman reached into her purse for money before Luke stopped her.

"Even though you are possibly the rudest person I've ever met, I have a standing rule. First coffee on the house. Just take the coffee and go," he said. She gave him a soft smile, different than the playful smile from before. She was just about out the door when she turned around.

"Oh now what?" He asked.

"Hold on to that horoscope. Keep it on you, it'll bring you good luck," she said. Their eyes locked for a beat, then she was out of there. Luke watched the door, then shook his head as if the whole this was too odd to have been real. He looked at the horoscope he was still holding. Ms. Parry, Babette, and half the diner was looking at him.

"Eat!" He instructed, and they did. Luke rolled his eyes and pretended to be fiddling with the register. But really, he stuck the piece of paper in his wallet. _Couldn't hurt._

* * *

Lorelai walked around the town some more, then made her way back home, stopping at some stores along the way. She bought five new brands of coffee, trying to find one better than the one she drank at Luke's. At 5, she was in front of Chilton, waiting to pick up Rory and her friends. After dropping the girls off at their homes, Lorelai looked at her daughter.

"What are you in the mood for? Alejandro's? Slum and get some take out?"

"Nothing fancy, nothing spicy. I am so nervous about this presentation, I don't want to upset my stomach even more." Lorelai thought for a moment, thought back to Stars Hollow, and smiled an evil grin.

"What about a diner?"

"A diner? Like from _Seinfeld_?" Rory asked.

"Exactly like _Seinfeld_ ," Lorelai said. "When I went to Stars Hollow today, I had the best coffee _ever_ at this small diner off the town square. I bothered the waiter there, but that's okay, I'm sure he's long gone by now."

"Sure, why not," Rory said before putting her nose in her book. 40 minutes later, the Lorelai parked in the same spot as before.

"Isn't this just the cutest town? I bet everyone knows everyone, the gossip must spread like fire. Think of all the fun drama that happens," Lorelai mused. Rory gave a genuine smile for the first time in a while.

"It's really pretty here," she said. "Is that the diner?" Rory pointed to the coffee mug shaped sign with Luke's name on it.

"Yes it is, let's go," Lorelai said. When they walked in, the place was much less packed as before. Only two tables were taken and the counter was free. As soon as they sat down, the same waiter came from the kitchen.

"Alright, what'll you have?" He said before looking up.

"I'm back," Lorelai said. The man hesitated before looking at her, probably praying it wasn't her.

"Aw jeez, come on, you didn't bother me enough for one day?"

"Oh, I did. But now I have back up." He looked at Rory for the first time, who waved.

"Great, two of you. What happened to you not coming back here anytime soon?"

"Soon is a relative term. It's been hours. Didn't you miss me?"

"Are you going to order or not?"

"I don't know, do you have menus?" Lorelai asked. He slapped down two menus in front of them. Then Lorelai's phone rang.

"No phones, go outside," Luke said, pointing to the sign. Lorelai rolled her eyes, sighed, and walked outside.

* * *

"Sorry about her," the girl said. That surprised Luke.

"She came in here earlier and twice in one day is a bit much," he said softer. _Your sister is a piece of work,_ he wanted to say.

"I don't know why she does this. Okay, I'll let you in on something," she said, and leaned forward. "She does this everywhere. She's rude, but she does it for laughs. Once you get to know her, she's actually a really nice person. And I'm not just saying that because she's my mom."

"Your mom?"

"A little young to have a teenager, right?" The girl asked. She obviously was asked that before. "Yes, yes she is. I'm Rory, by the way. Rory Gilmore-Hayden. Well actually my first name is Lorelai, but everyone calls me Rory." The girl spoke almost as fast as her mother. _Her mother must have been a teenager when she had her._

"It's nice to meet you, Rory Gilmore-Hayden," he said, holding his hand out to shake. "I'm Luke Danes." Her small, delicate hand felt so fragile in his rough, calloused hand.

"Are you fraternizing?" Her mom asked. She was smiling, but Luke could see in her eyes that something was wrong. He wasn't good at expressing feelings, but he could recognize them.

"Mom, this Luke Danes," Rory said.

"Luke as in, _the_ Luke. _The_ Luke with the most amazing coffee I ever had?"

"Apparently," he said, face re-hardened from the conversation with Rory.

"I'm Lorelai," the woman said.

"I thought her name was Lorelai," Luke said.

"It is, I named her after me," Lorelai said looking lovingly at her daughter.

"Well alright, I'm Luke, as you know. Now, can I get you two something to eat?" The two ordered burgers, chili fries, and coffee. There was a football game that night, and Luke wanted to close before it ended. He knew he'd make a lot of sales, but he didn't want rowdy teenagers in his place until 11pm. He had an hour before he wanted to close, so he started cleaning up. He did his best to ignore the pair, but they were loud enough that he couldn't. He went to the back room to take a quick inventory.

He was at the doorway when he heard Lorelai, the mom, giving her daughter a disclaimer.

"Rory, there's something we need to talk about," she said.

"Are you breaking up with me?" Rory joked.

"Rory," he mom warned.

"Does it have anything to do with the phone call?"

"Yes. It was the club. Your dad got into a fight."

"A fight? Over what?" Rory basically yelled.

"Something about a new client not signing or something."

"He fought with a client."

"No, he fought with his partner Jason about the client, that they lost," Lorelai said quietly. "Now, I'm telling you this because you need to hear it from me. Your dad is a good guy, he's just going through a tough time right now."

"I know. Mom?"

"Yeah sweetheart?"

"Are you guys okay?"

"Of course, we're fine. Work is just… taking the front seat right now. Shotgun, actually, because you are always the most important thing, okay?"

"Okay, Mom." They were quiet for a while. Luke felt bad for judging Lorelai so quickly. She seemed like a good mom.

"How does the food taste?" Luke asked after he thought the coast was clear.

"It's good, but you know," Lorelai started. Luke gave her a look, instantly regretting asking. "If you would add a dash of smiles and a pinch less grump, this would be a _really_ good burger."

"I'll work on it," he said. He expected the two to leave as soon as they finished their food, but they kept ordering more. Between them, they consumed two burgers, chili fries, two and a half slices of pie, five cups of coffee, and toast—Luke made it because the bread was going to go bad soon. He flipped the closed sign, and Rory gathered herself.

"You know, until I'm done cleaning, you two can stay. I just don't feel like serving a bunch of football fans tonight, so I'm closing early."

"What time do you normally close?"

"Well, I'm the owner, so I set my own hours. Usually nine, sometimes later," he said. She smiled.

"That's good to know." As he cleaned, he overheard them talking about Rory's school, Lorelai's work, the possible buying of the Inn, and that they liked the town. He internally groaned at the thought of her coming in here every day, but then he almost smiled at that same thought. As he turned off the kitchen lights, the girls got their stuff to leave. Lorelai walked up to the counter to pay.

"Do you take cards?" Lorelai asked, holding out her platinum card.

"No, sorry, cash only," Luke said. Lorelai looked in her purse and realized she didn't have enough cash,

"Rory, can you find an ATM?"

"Sure mom," she said and took her mom's card.

"There's one outside the bank, one block over," Luke directed. Rory gave him a salute then left.

* * *

"Thanks for putting up with us tonight," Lorelai said, truthfully grateful.

"Your daughter was fine, it's you I had a problem with," he said, writing a list.

"Had? Oh goody," she smirked. He looked up from his paper, and Lorelai swore she almost saw a smile.

"Are you going to be around often? I just need to know if I need to mentally prepare myself for Hurricane Lorelai Gilmore-Hayden."

"And for that one statement, I have three responses. First, I might be around, it depends on work really. Next, that is a super long name for a hurricane. And third, it's just Lorelai Gilmore. My daughter's last name is hyphenated, mine isn't. Too much paperwork," she said. _Not to mention how much I hated being a "Hayden."_

"Got it," Luke said "Hurricane Lorelai, then," he simplified. They stood there awkwardly for a moment before Rory came back. The Gilmore girls paid for their food and walked out the door, Luke following to lock up.

"Goodnight Mr. Danes, I hope to see you soon," Lorelai said sweetly and with a wink. Luke rolled his eyes.

"I'll watch the forecast," he said. "It was nice meeting you, Rory," he said.

"By Luke," she smiled. Lorelai looked at her daughter, not remembering the last time Rory looked that happy.

"Drive safe," he said with that straight face Lorelai was getting used to. He closed the door behind them.

* * *

Lorelai and Rory listened to the radio as they back home, except when Lorelai got a call from her boss, Mike. Lorelai pulled into the driveway and a minute later parked as she hung up.

"I liked it there," Rory said out of the blue.

"So did I. I might be working in that town soon," Lorelai said.

"Really? Why?"

"Mike called to talk about the Independence Inn, the place I saw today. He said that if I seal the deal, I could be in charge of buying, then running it if I'm successful."

"Mom that's huge," Rory said, proud and happy for her mom.

"I know!" Lorelai said, and the two quietly squealed together. They walked to their house, where Christopher opened the door.

"Where the hell have you been?" He yelled. _Five drinks_. Lorelai stepped in front of Rory. Chris never got violent, ever, but Lorelai didn't want Rory to see her father like that.

"We went out to eat," Lorelai said. "Like we said we were going to."

"Where?"

"Stars Hollow, I wanted to show Rory a diner I went to today," Lorelai said. He looked at her, decided to believe her, and let them into the house. Lorelai could feel it. She knew they were going to fight soon. She knew there would be yelling. So she did the thing she did whenever he was upset.

She hated sleeping with him. He was selfish and she hadn't enjoyed sex in almost a decade. But it was the only way to prevent a fight. As she laid in his bed, Chris snoring beside her, she thought to herself, _I wonder what Luke is up to._

* * *

 **And it begins! I loved writing the LL meeting, which was paraphrased from Written in the Stars.**

 **Also, what do you think about the possible revival-revival? I would love some more episodes, especially if Milo returns (but he probs won't.) I'd love to see if Luke and Lorelai adopts or go through with a surrogate.**

 **If you have any suggestions, requests, ideas, feel free to leave a review!**


	4. This Isn't a Hair Salon

**More LL in this chapter, as well as the weekly dinner with Richard and Emily.  
**

 **R &R**

 **This Isn't a Hair Salon**

* * *

The following Tuesday, Lorelai got a call at her office.

"Hi Lorelai, it's Mia Bass from the Independence Inn," Mia said.

"Good morning Mia, how are you doing today?" The two exchanged pleasantries before Mia got to the purpose of the call.

"I have thought about your offer a lot over the weekend. I talked with my employees, and we have a few conditions we'd like to talk over today before I accept your offer and sell my inn to the Durham Group," Mia said. Lorelai smiled into the phone.

"Of course, what time works for you? Mike Armstrong and I are available right away if you'd like."

"Now that would be perfect, see you then," Mia said before hanging up. Lorelai proudly walked over to her boss, who gave her a non and smile of approval. Lorelai and Mike got the keys for the company car, then they drove to Stars Hollow. But of course, before they got to the inn, they had to stop for coffee first.

"This place looks… quaint," Mike said when they entered the diner. He was used to French bistros and fancy lounges, not the Average Joe's diner.

"It's small but the food is great and the coffee is even better," Lorelai raved. She looked around for Luke, but there as only one waitress. Lorelai recognized her as the Asian girl she saw the previous week. Lorelai and Mike walked up to the counter and waited for the waitress to come around.

"Hi there, what can I get for you?" She asked.

"Well, Lane, we will have two coffees to-go please," Lorelai said after reading her name tag.

"Coming right up," Lane said, not phased that this stranger knew her name.

"So where's the boss man this morning?"

"He should be on his way back from his beef guy. Or was is the pork guy. I don't remember. Some form of meat," Lane said quickly. Lorelai was a little disappointed, but already decided to come back for lunch. Mike paid and the two drove to the inn.

* * *

Luke's world had changed after meeting Lorelai. No major changes, just little things. For example, he caught himself looking at the door whenever someone walked in, doing the occasional double take when he saw a brunette. He thought about shaving every morning. He _didn't_ shave, but he thought about it. He refrained from scolding Miss Patty and Babette for gossiping, hoping he'd hear something about Lorelai Gilmore. That morning, Luke returned from his beef guy, walking into the diner from the back. That's when he saw a tall brunette walking out with a guy. Instantly, he was interested.

"Who was that?" Luke asked Lane as the breakfast rush was dying down.

"I don't know. Ms. Patty was talking about an attractive, tall, mysterious brunette who came in here last week, but no one's seen her since. Was that her?" Lane asked.

"I don't know, that's why I asked you," he responded slightly annoyed. He didn't want to take it out on Lane, but she was about to leave for school anyway so it wouldn't get worse. He wiped down the counter and started refilling coffee, trying to sneak peaks outside.

* * *

When Lorelai and Mike arrived at the inn, they were greeted by a pack of swans. Once they maneuvered passed the birds, Mia greeted them inside. Sookie had prepared mid-morning snacks they discussed employee status and retention, they discussed liabilities, and Lorelai's position

"Now Mia," Mike started as they sat in the dining room, "I know that the new management is a big concern of yours, but I think I have the best possible solution. Lorelai here has agreed to lead the transition and stay on for management purposes for as long as needed. How does that sound?" Mike asked. Mia looked at Lorelai with a straight face for a moment, which turned into a large grin.

"That sounds just perfect. I know everyone would love to see you around here," Mia said. They crossed the Ts, dotted the Is, and Lorelai got her own name tag. She pinned it on as Michel gave them the employee tour.

A little past noon, Lorelai and Mike went back to Luke's for lunch.

* * *

By the time the lunch rush came around, Luke was running on autopilot. He was taking orders, smiling at the old people, glaring at rowdy teens, and refilling coffee. He was talking to Ms. Patty when the door opened and Patty's eyes went wide.

"What?" Luke asked. Before Patty could say anything, Luke heard her voice.

"This place gets cuter every time I come in here," Lorelai said. "And there he is, the god of coffee." Luke would never admit that he enjoyed the compliment. Miss Patty gave Luke a smile that made him roll his eyes. He finally looked over at her and saw she was sitting at the counter with a man in a suit.

"Is that her?" Patty asked.

"Her? Yes, that's the woman you've been talking about all weekend."

"Who's the guy?"

"I'm going to guess her husband," Luke said, his patience wearing thin. "Excuse me." He walked to the counter to take their order.

"How's the weather look today?" Lorelai asked. Luke almost forgot about his Hurricane Lorelai comment.

"I thought it looked pretty clear, but obviously, there was a flash flood," he said. That made her smile. He liked her smile.

"Luke, this is Mike. Mike, this is the guy I was talking about. He makes the best coffee. Speaking of which, I'll take a cup and a burger."

"And for you?" Luke asked Mike. He didn't like the look of that guy. His suit looked too expensive, his hands looked soft, and he wasn't wearing a wedding ring. _How could a guy married to a woman like that not wear a wedding ring?_

"I'll take a coffee and a burger as well," he said, right after his cellphone rang. Before Luke could point to the sign, Lorelai beat him to it.

"There's no cell phones in here, you gotta go outside," she said with an innocent smile. Mike nodded and took the call on the sidewalk.

"How have you been?" Lorelai asked Luke.

"Good."

"What's new?"

"Not much. I'm going to get these orders in." Luke said. He didn't want to be rude, but he felt awkward talking to her. Maybe it was the fact that her husband was right there, or maybe it was the looks Miss Patty was giving him from the back table. When he came back to the counter, Mike was just returning.

"That was the girlfriend," Mike said and Luke's eyes widened before realizing they weren't together. "She is driving through on her way to Riverside and will pick me up here in a little bit. You're good with taking the car back to the office?" He asked.

"No problem, I know my way around," she said. Mike handed her a set of car keys and sat next to her. Luke over heard them talk about business, about the inn. He learned that she was going to be working there, which meant that he would be seeing her more often. He made the rounds as their food cooked. That's when he learned that he wasn't the only one who was listening.

"Is that her?" asked Babette, who just joined Miss Patty.

"Yes, and she's working at the Independence Inn. Also, I don't think that's her husband because he's not wearing a ring and he just mentioned a girlfriend. Oh Luke, did you hear?"

"Please refrain from gossiping, this isn't a hair salon," he winked at them and set down their plates. It was hard for him to scold those two, since they truly meant well. About ten minutes passed and Mike was walking out.

"Hey friend, another cup?" Lorelai asked.

"How much have you had today?"

"Just one," she said, holding her now empty cup.

"Really?" He asked, knowing she was in here that morning.

"Four, but yours is so much better. I bought a bunch of other kinds but none are as good as yours. Please?" He shook his head but took her cup.

"That much coffee is going to screw with your nervous system," he said. She smiled and thanked him. She asked if she could do some work there. The rush was slowing, so he said it was okay. He liked having her there. Until her phone rang.

"Jeez, you suits spend more time on the phone than not," he commented.

"There better be more coffee in the cup when I get back," she said then walked out. He watched her pace outside the windows. Her face and hand gestures showed that she went from happy to not happy in about five seconds. A couple minutes later, she hung up the phone and took a deep breath. Luke poured more coffee in the mug so it was warm when she came back.

"What do I owe you?" She asked quietly with a small smile.

"Um, here," Luke said, ripping off her bill. She took the cash Mike left behind and handed it to Luke. He tried to avoid eye contact, but he couldn't help asking.

"Are you okay?" He tried to keep his voice straight, almost bored.

"Yeah, sorry. I was trying to tell someone about my news and he didn't take it that well," she said.

"Oh, about the inn?" He asked, silently cursing himself for getting to interested.

"Yeah," her face brightened. "You overheard me and Mike?"

"Well, no, Ms. Patty did," he said as he gestured toward at the loud women in the corner, who turned and acted like they weren't watching his every move. "Plus you're wearing a name tag," he said, pointing to her jacket.

"Oh yeah, I forgot that was even there," she said, touching it absently. "And yes, so I'm going to start working at the Inn on Thursday, so you'll be seeing a lot of me for a while," she flirted. Luke didn't know how to feel about being flirted with by a married woman, but for now he was going to go with it. From the phone call last week, things didn't seem too good between Lorelai and her husband, but that wasn't an excuse. Luke was an old-fashioned man with morals to match.

"I'll invest in an umbrella," he said. He grabbed a to-go cup and poured fresh coffee into it.

"I didn't pay for that one," she said. He gave her the coffee, shaking his head.

"On the house. Call it a congratulatory present," he said.

"Really? Two free coffees in the span of a week, I'm flattered. Thank you, that's so kind," she said. "If the rest of the town is as nice as you, I might just move here. Oh, think of that, you'd have to board up the windows, dig some trenches," she dramatized. He couldn't help but chuckle a bit, encouraging her. They shared a look before she parted. He watched her walk away, wishing she would stay longer. Then he saw Miss Patty and Babette giving him googly eyes.

"Stop it, she's still married, just not to him," he waved his towel at them, shooing them away.

* * *

At dinner that night with her parents, as they did every Tuesday, Lorelai was excited to give them the good news. She, Chris, and Rory showed up at Emily and Richard's house at 6:40 exactly.

"Are you going to tell them?" Rory asked. She had been excited about the news after her visit to Luke's the previous week. Chris not so much. He was not happy about her job one bit. He didn't understand why she thought she needed a job, since he could provide for the three of them. A few years ago, when she suggested separate bank accounts for tax purposes, he about flipped a table.

"I'll tell them during dinner. Mom would scold me if I announced it before hand." They rang the bell and her parents' maid of 5 years, Annabella, opened the door. The trio walked into the parlor and shared drinks with Emily and Richard. Emily made a comment about Rory's hair, Rory deflected it with humor, just like Lorelai taught her.

After they started on their salads, Lorelai decided to share the news.

"Mom, Dad, I have an announcement," she said. Her parents shared a look, and their faces looked almost grim.

"Yes?" Richard said softly, looking between Lorelai and Christopher.

"I am going to run an inn," Lorelai said excitedly. Her parents looked confused and relieved. Then it began.

"What?" Emily was shocked. "That doesn't sound like a promotion. Does that sound like a promotion, Richard?"

"No it doesn't. Why are you running an inn? Are you in some kind of trouble at work?" Richard asked.

"No, Dad, I'm not in trouble. This is a promotion. I am in charge of the transition of the Independence Inn, and I'll be managing a place until the Durham group can fill the position."

Her parents had about a million questions. But one question changed the entire mood of the dinner. As dessert was brought out, Emily asked a question to Chris, who had been silent the entire night.

"So, Christopher, what do you think about Lorelai's new job?" An innocent question. A good question. A perfect opportunity to show support.

"Do you really want to know what I think?" He asked after polishing off his fourth drink. "I think that the job is stupid, honestly, it's stupid. _Head of transitioning?_ More like babysitter. It's a senseless job and she is being selfish for spending so little time at home already, but even more so now that she'll be driving to that little town everyday." Everyone was silent.

"Chris," Lorelai said softly.

"No, I'm done. We're leaving. Goodnight, Emily and Richard, see you next week," he said, dramatically throwing his napkin on his pudding bowl. The remaining four sat in the awkward silence for a moment before Chris yelled,

"Now!" Lorelai jumped a bit. She apologized to her parents, then she and Rory walked out. The car ride home was tensely silent. Lorelai drove, but not without argument from Chris. When they got home, Rory ran upstairs to avoid the inevitable. Lorelai hung up her coat, took a shot of whatever was closest on the drink cart, and prepared herself for a fight.

"What the hell was that?" She asked Chris.

"What? Your mom asked me a question, I answered it," he said.

"Why can't you support this? I am finally doing something, I am in charge of something big. Why can't you be happy for me?"

"Because you are just trying to avoid me. Because you hate me. Because you don't want to be with me anymore."

"Chris, I did this for me, not because of you."

"You're not going to deny any of that?" Chris asked. Lorelai thought for a moment.

"I didn't do it because I wanted to stay away from you. I do not hate you. But…"

"But what?" He asked, instantly mad.

"But I don't think I want to be with you anymore," Lorelai said. Chris was silent. "I love you, I always will, you're Rory's father. But you and I are very different people than when we got married. People change. We changed."

"No, you changed. You changed. I… I can't talk now. I'm going to bed," he said.

"Chris we need to talk about this!"

"Goodnight, Lorelai," he said. He sounded more sad than mad, which seemed like a good thing. Lorelai stood there, guilty about how not sad she felt.


	5. Is That a Doughnut?

**More characters in this chapter, as well as the ever loved town meeting.**

 **R &R!**

* * *

 **Is that a doughnut?**

* * *

Two days later, Lorelai woke up late. She hadn't been sleeping well since her fight with Chris, and the commute time threw her off. She threw on the skirt suit she set out the night before, brushed her teeth and threw her hair in a bun. Thankfully, Paris was able to give Rory a ride to school, so Lorelai was off, but not before she saw something on the kitchen counter. It was a note from Chris and some flowers.

"I'm sorry for not being supportive lately, and I know this doesn't scratch the surface of apologizing, but I'm sorry.

Love, Chris"

The flowers were the same as what she used in their wedding, and coffee was already made for her. Lorelai remembered that she was running late, so she filled a travel mug with coffee then left for Stars Hollow. Regrettably, she didn't have time to stop at Luke's before going to the Inn, but she could not be late on her first day.

After a morning of employee meet-and-greets, Lorelai stopped by the kitchen for some desperately needed coffee. There she talked with Sookie, who was nursing a burnt hand.

"How did that happen? You were fine an hour ago," Lorelai was amazed by the chef. Sookie just smiled and kept working like nothing was wrong.

"Well, Kaleb wasn't flipping the sides quick enough, so I decided to show him how to do it. But while I was flipping with one hand, I was stirring, like this!" Sookie was about to demonstrate before Lorelai stopped her. Shaking her head, she knew that she'd grow to love that woman, despite the possible injury liabilities. Lorelai pestered Michel, who didn't seem to like her that much. Maybe that's just because he was French, she didn't know. After a small meeting with the department heads (management, food, cleaning, maintenance), Lorelai took a walk around the grounds. The town was a short drive away, but she didn't think ditching work for some of Luke's coffee would be a good example of her leadership skills.

* * *

Finally at 6:30, she was finished with her first day. She called Rory, asking if she could get a ride to Stars Hollow for some food. Rory was in Hartford with Brad, and he didn't mind driving.

"I'll be there in about half an hour, save me some coffee," Rory teased. For the first time in a while, Lorelai felt that their relationship was getting stronger. Lorelai drove and parked next to the square. As soon as she stepped out of her car, a larger, balding man with a beard walked quickly out of the market toward her.

"Excuse me," he said, "Are you Lorelai Gilmore?"

"The one and only, well actually one of three, but yes, I'm Lorelai. How can I help you?"

"Did you just buy the Independence Inn?" He asked, eyebrows raised, head tilted.

"I work for the company that did, so technically? I'm sort of in charge of it now," she said modestly, hoping for a warm reaction. No such luck.

"Well, Lorelai, because you're new here, I have to explain some things to you. In our little community, everyone has a say in everything. That Inn is of historical importance dating back to the Civil War. And as the head of the historical society, I deserve to know who is "running" such a landmark. This is not how things work in this town, young lady," he scolded.

"Who are you?" Lorelai asked, making sure she didn't miss that information.

"I am Taylor Doose, Town Selectman and owner of Doose's Market," he said, offended that she'd have to ask that.

"Well Taylor, my name is Lorelai Gilmore, as you know. I thought a proper introduction would be necessary before you drag me through the streets by horses. I'm sorry, but I didn't know anything about the historical-ness of the Inn. I apologize for not reaching out to the community earlier, but it was a matter between the Durham Group and Mia Bass."

"It is so much more than that," Taylor's face was getting red, which Lorelai enjoyed.

"What can I do to address the community? Is there a way I can get the message out? A group email? Town crier? Carrier pigeons?" Despite the sarcasm, this pleased Taylor.

"Every Thursday at 8pm we have a town meeting, over there at Miss Patty's. I think we'll be able to squeeze you in some speaking time. Remember to apologize for not telling everyone until after you bought the Inn from under us," he said. Before Lorelai could respond, he said goodbye and went back into the store.

"This is such a weird town," Lorelai said out loud. She made her way to Luke's, passing a small group of butterflies along the way.

Lorelai walked in and smiled toward the man behind the counter. He was fiddling with a toaster while talking to a woman with a little girl on her lap. She watched them for a moment, and was surprised when the girl, probably about 6 or seven, leaned over the counter and kissed him on the cheek.

"See you later, kid," he told her as he ruffled her curly hair. The woman also leaned over and kissed his cheek, though he didn't ruffle _her_ hair.

"Bye Daddy," the little girl said as the woman grabbed her hand. They walked toward Lorelai, who held the door open for them. When Lorelai turned to Luke, she saw that he was already looking at her. She walked to the counter, thinking of a funny line to open with.

"So, Daddy, got some coffee for me?"

"Stop that," he said as he sat a mug in front of her.

"You're a dad, I didn't picture that," Lorelai admitted.

"Yeah, well neither did I. April was sort of a surprise," he explained absent-mindedly. "Wait, why am I telling you this?"

"Because I have one of those faces?"

" _Those_ faces?"

"Yeah, a trusting face. A bartender's face."

"A bartender's-what? That doesn't make any sense."

"You know like in the movies? The bartender is someone who everyone confides in," she explained. "You have one of those faces too, you know." He rolled his eyes.

"Can I get you anything else?"

"In a little bit, _my_ daughter is meeting me here. Are you married?" Lorelai didn't intend to pry, but rarely could she avoid saying whatever was on her mind.

"Married? Me and Anna? No, well, we were," he said slowly. "We tried it for about a year, but it didn't work. We share custody now." Lorelai was glad to hear that he wasn't married, then guilty for feeling that way. Luke walked around for a minute, and when he returned, Lorelai's coffee needed refilling.

"I had my first day at work today," she changed the subject.

"How'd that go?"

"Fine, until right before I came in here," she said.

"Why's that?" Luke didn't seem to interested, but Lorelai needed someone to vent to.

"Do you know Taylor Doose?" That got his attention. He put his hands on the counter, and Lorelai was surprised at the amount of eye contact that guy was giving her.

"Oh God, what did he say?"

"So you _do_ know him." Lorelai smirked.

"That man is trying to monopolize the entire town. Buying up piece by piece. He is obsessed with this town. Remember the ATM outside of the bank? He organized a three person protest when they were installing it. He's been trying to get me to paint and decorate this place for years," Luke ranted.

"Well it could use a new coat, some touch ups," Lorelai looking around. She felt Luke glaring at her. "Well, Taylor gave me a mouthful about being disrespectful and how I should have talked to the town before we bought the Inn. Apparently, I need the village blessing before I can do anything."

"That's how it goes."

"Are these town meetings any fun?" Lorelai asked. Luke shook his head.

"He's making you go to a meeting? Oh man, he is something. No, these meetings are pointless and time consuming. I usually skip them, and Taylor usually gets mad, which is half the fun."

"Snacks?" She asked to his confusion.

"Snacks?"

"Yeah, are there concessions there or do we bring our own?" Before Luke could answer, a car's tires screeched outside. Everyone in the diner turned to look out the window, where Lorelai recognized Brad's BMW. She could see Brad and Rory make-out in the car for a minute before she got out and entered the diner. She didn't notice the people looking. She just sat down next to her mom.

"Your lip gloss is smeared," Lorelai said, handing her daughter a napkin. Lorelai didn't approve of her daughter's relationships, but she didn't know how to say it without sounding like an over-controlling Emily. Only a few groups were in the diner, so after taking their order, Luke went back to fiddling with the toaster.

* * *

"Jeez, take it easy," Lorelai commented after he jiggled the lever a little too forcefully. "It's just a machine, Luke."

"Yeah, well it's pretty useless if I can't get it up," he said.

"Dirty!" Lorelai said in a Marilyn Monroe-esk voice. He looked at her, surprised and amused.

"Grow up," he said. He gave them their food as the girls told each other what they did that day.

 _That woman._ Lorelai could turn a conversation in a completely different direction with two words. Usually, Luke wasn't very talkative, but he couldn't help but make conversation with her. He overheard them talking about Rory's two boyfriends. _How does a sixteen year-old have two boyfriends?_ She shouldn't have any. If April ever came home saying she had two boyfriends, Luke would have two asses to kick.

"Hey, want to do something really fun tonight?" Lorelai asked her daughter.

"Shopping? It's a little late for that but I'm sure we can find something," Rory said.

"No, not shopping. There is a town meeting tonight that I have to go to. It'll be really fun, we can bring snacks and listen to their little town problems. 'Hey, these flowers were supposed to be planted last week,' and 'Who said Lorelai could run the Inn'. It'll be loads of fun," Lorelai said. Rory just shrugged.

"Whatever, I don't have much of a choice, do I?"

"That's my girl. We'll stay here until then, as long as it's okay with the boss-man. Hey boss-man?" She called for him.

"Yes?" He asked, trying to sound tired.

"Would you be so kind as to allow me and my offspring to stay in this lovely establishment until the most important of town meetings?" She asked in a southern accent.

"As long as you never use that voice again," he said with a smirk. Lorelai waved her napkin, thanking him. Lorelai and Rory moved to a table to work on their respective paper work and school work. Before long, everyone in the town made their way to Miss Patty's. The diner cleared out as Lorelai practiced her speech for Rory.

"You're going to be fine," Luke told her. "It's nothing formal, Taylor just makes a big deal out of these things."

"Which is why I want to make a good impression," Lorelai said. Luke sat down his notepad and grabbed his keys. "Where are you going?" Lorelai asked.

"The town meeting," he said like it was obvious.

"I thought you didn't go to them."

"I don't, but this one should be entertaining," he explained. He walked to the door, then turned around and grabbed the doughnuts from the display tray.

"Snacks?" Lorelai said excitedly.

"If anyone asks, you didn't get them from me," he said. As the three of them walked into the barn, Lorelai was filled with delight.

"This is adorable," she said. She led Rory and Luke to the front row. Luke was reluctant to sit, but did so. Taylor was about to start the meeting when he looked at Luke.

"Wow, Luke, you're here. What a pleasant surprise," Taylor said. Luke shifted in his seat. "And hello Lorelai Gilmore."

"Hello Taylor Doose. This is my daughter, Rory," she said. Rory, well-mannered, held out her hand.

"Daughter? Well, it's nice to meet you Rory. Lorelai, we have a few things on the agenda before we get to you... Is that a doughnut?"

"Yes, yes it is," she said before taking a bite. Luke rolled his eyes, but silently enjoyed her defiance. Finally, he had an ally against Taylor.

* * *

Taylor talked at length about the homecoming festivities, the holiday decoration plans (that Luke never participated in, Taylor mentioned), and finally got to Lorelai.

"And as most of you know, _second hand_ , the Independence Inn was bought by the _Durham Group_ ," he used air quotes. "This woman up front, Lorelai Gilmore, will be running the Inn, and will say a few words." Lorelai stood up and walked up to the podium.

"Hello everybody. Like Taylor said, I'm Lorelai and I will be running the Inn for a little while. I would like to start by apologizing to you all. I had no idea that I needed village approval before my company could buy a building on the border of town limits, but hey, I'm just a business women."

"A little about me: I grew up in Hartford and I have a daughter, Rory," she directed down to Rory, who turned red but waved meekly to the crowd. "I have spent the last decade working with the Durham Group renovating and sprucing up hotels and inns all over the East Coast. I am confident that I will restore the Independence Inn to its historical beauty."

"Does anyone have questions for Mrs. Gilmore?" Taylor asked. Before Lorelai could correct him,

"Are you going to be living in Stars Hollow?" Miss Patty asked. Lorelai looked at Rory and shrugged.

"We live a little past Hartford, so I plan on commuting?" She ended like a question. Luke thought about the drive, knowing that it was long. Out of convenience, she should live in town.

"If you're in the market for a house, I can help you with all tours and purchasing," Kirk said from the back of the room.

"I'm not in the market, but thanks," Lorelai said.

The townspeople had a few more random questions for her before Taylor banged out the meeting. Luke took her and Rory back to the diner to get their things and coffee to-go.

"You did good, in there," Luke said awkwardly.

"Those people were really nosy, Mom," Rory said. Lorelai gave her daughter a side hug.

"They're nosy because they care," she said as her phone rang. It was Christopher. Her phone was on silent and she had missed seven calls. "You told your dad you were coming here, right?"

"I thought you did," Rory said, her eyes wide. Lorelai answered after sending Rory into the diner to get their bags. Luke followed, unlocking the doors as Lorelai talked to Chris.

"I'm sorry, I forgot to call. I'm with Rory in Stars Hollow, we got dinner and we went to a town meeting," Lorelai explained.

"A town meeting? Are we living there now? Did you forget to tell me?"

"No, Chris, it's something that came up after work and I couldn't get out of. I thought Rory would have called you, and she thought I was going to do it. I'm sorry for forgetting, it won't happen again."

"Just come home, please," he sounded sad.

"We're leaving in a couple minutes. See you at home," she said.

"I love you," Chris told her. It had been a long time since they exchanged those words with each other.

"I love you too. See you in an hour," Lorelai said as Rory left the diner, Luke behind her.

"Was he mad?" Rory asked. Lorelai looked at Luke, who kept his distance to give them privacy.

"A little, but it'll be okay. Maybe we should move here, it'd make communication a little better," Lorelai joked.

"I wouldn't mind living here," Rory said out of the blue. Lorelai didn't know what to make of that.

"Have a safe drive home," Luke said in his gruff voice. Lorelai smiled.

"Thanks, see you tomorrow," she said. He gave her a small smile before turning around back to the restaurant.

"I like Luke," Rory said. "He's nice."

"Yeah, he is."

* * *

When they got home, Lorelai prepared for another fight with Chris. A fight that never came. When they walked in, there was no yelling. Only a pleasant aroma coming from the kitchen. There, Chris was making his favorite pasta recipe. The girls sat down at the island and asked what he was doing.

"I thought it'd be nice to have a family meal together. And since you ate supper a few hours ago, I thought I'd make you two some food," he said, stirring a pot. He poured a cup pf coffee for Lorelai and heated up hot chocolate for Rory.

That night, they stayed up late, eating, talking, and actually enjoying family time. Lorelai didn't know what changed, but she was liking it. She slept in Chris' room that night, and they cuddled and talked until 2am. They were tired the next morning, but it was worth it.

* * *

 **What did you think? Let me know in the comments. And if you have any** **suggestions, requests, ideas, etc., let me know!  
**


	6. You Don't Fool Me

**Hey all, hope your first week is Spring is going well.**

 **I had a few reviews that mentioned how different Rory is, and I thought I'd address that. Those comments are correct, she's a bit OOC. My reasoning is that, being raised not just by Lorelai, but by Chris and nannies. She had watched her parents live unhappily so she hasn't really seen what a "healthy" relationship looked like. Also, she and Lorelai spent drastically less time together, so they wouldn't be as close. But don't worry, Rory becomes more like the Rory we all know and love.**

 **R &R**

* * *

 **You don't fool me**

* * *

After Chris' gesture, Lorelai decided to give him another chance. He was making an effort, he was being romantic, and he was making Lorelai laugh again. Things were starting to turn around for them, And Lorelai felt lighter, happier, but also guiltier for spending so much time in Stars Hollow.

A couple weeks passed and Lorelai was getting comfortable in the town. She said hi to people as she passed, Michel was warming up to her, and Luke gave her crap about all the coffee she was drinking. It felt good to be part of a community that cared about things other than coming out parties, fundraisers, and which families were dealing with scandals. The biggest scandal in Stars Hollow was that Taylor caught a boy named Dean and a girl named Lindsay kissing in the gazebo after curfew.

After Lorelai got a flat tire on her way to work on morning, having to call a car service from Hartford to Stars Hollow, Lorelai began to think about buying a small house or apartment.

"What do you think?" She asked Chris and Rory one night during dinner. "Obviously it's just an option."

"Why?" Rory asked.

"Because the Inn needs a lot more attention than expected. Half of the guest rooms weren't up to code, and the construction is going to take longer than expected. Plus the night manager quit and I have to be on call 24/7 if anything goes wrong," Lorelai explained. "And, the car is taking a beating."

"Are we all moving to Stars Hollow then?" Rory asked. Lorelai shook her head.

"I don't think that's necessary. The inn shouldn't take more than three months to get up to snuff, so I could crash at the apartment during the week then come home and spend the weekends with you two. What do you think, Chris?" She asked her silent husband.

Surprisingly, he was supportive. He told her that if it would help her job, he would be okay with her renting an apartment to crash a few nights a week. Lorelai didn't want to question him, and they talked about the budget and the arrangements. Rory was hesitant, but after Lorelai and Chris reassure her that they weren't separating.

* * *

After leaving work that Friday at noon, Lorelai went to Luke's to look at the newspapers.

"One coffee and the biggest burger you got," she ordered. Luke got on it as Lorelai grabbed the newspaper and flipped it to the real estate section. Luke put in the order and Lorelai reached for the coffee before he could finish pouring.

"Since when do you read the paper?"

"Since I started looking for apartments in town," she said, spreading the paper out on the counter.

"Apartments?" He said, looking over her shoulder. "Are you moving here?" He stayed close to her until Lorelai noticed and shifted on the stool.

"It's temporary," Lorelai explained. "The commute is becoming problematic. I mean, it's only an hour, but that's time I could spend sleeping or drinking coffee. Plus it's putting a lot of miles on my car, and gas prices aren't what they used to be."

"And, um, your husband?"

"Surprisingly supportive," Lorelai said, trying not to confide in the man too much. Luke was a nice enough guy, but he didn't need to know about her marital details.

"Well… good. An apartment would be good," he said awkwardly, then hurried off to where Kirk had a thousand questions about the menu. When he came back to her, she had circles five apartments on the page.

"What do you think?" She asked him. He looked from her face, to the paper, and back to her face.

"Looks good."

"Wow, thanks, I know. That's why I circled them."

"You'd like any of those places. Plus, if it's just temporary, it doesn't matter that much," he said.

"That's a good point. I'm going to call these places. _Excuse me_ ," she said before leaving the diner to call the numbers for the apartment. Kirk answered the first call, Luke kicked him out of the diner, and he and Lorelai talked outside.

After an afternoon of apartment hunting, she landed on a two bedroom above Al's Pancake World, which didn't actually sell pancakes. She returned to the diner with the news, making sure to call Chris first.

"Good, I'm glad you found something," Chris said quietly.

"And you're really okay with me living here part time," she said as she paced outside Luke's.

"Yes, I think it's a good idea. When will you be home?"

"Give me about an hour?"

"See you then. Love you," he said. His affection was odd, but again, Lorelai didn't question it.

"Love you too," she said. She entered the diner to tell Luke the good news. He seemed preoccupied, so she kept the conversation short, or at least as short as Lorelai can.

"I am officially a resident of Stars Hollow," she announced to the diner, which was half full. Miss Patty and Babette applauded. She sat at the counter where Luke already had a coffee ready.

"Burger?" He asked firmly.

"No thanks, just coffee to-go," she replied just as firm. He filled the disposable cup with the coffee from the mug he had set out.

"So you got a house?" He asked when he came back from taking other orders.

"An apartment, right across the square. I looked, and I can see your front door from my window," she smiled, hoping he would be annoyed.

"That's creepy."

"I try. I'll see you later," she said quietly, leaving the money for her cup and a tip.

"Lorelai," he called after her. She turned around and he leaned forward over the counter. "Congratulations. Stars Hollow will never be the same."

"I'll fund weatherproofing," she smiled, continuing the Hurricane bit. He shook his head and smiled.

* * *

The last time Lorelai, Rory, and Christopher went out as a family (excluding social obligations and dinners at the Gilmore's), was when Rory was 14 and she wanted to go to a theme park for her birthday. Lorelai and Chris fought about where to go, when to go, how much money to spend, etc. When they could finally agree, it was past her birthday, but they still went. They spent a weekend at Universal Studios in Orlando and were miserable. Rory had fun, but Lorelai pinpointed this as the final event before the complete decline of their relationship. Since then, the bad outweighed the good.

But, that changed the last weekend of September, when the Homecoming festivities took place. Lorelai, as a new resident, had to provide at least one hour of volunteering that weekend. She decided on running the ring-toss booth. She stayed in Stars Hollow that Friday, and Chris and Rory drove down and planned to stay the weekend.

"Mom!" Rory called over the crowd. She ran to Lorelai, fighting the large group of people surrounding the ring-toss.

"Wow, someone's popular," Chris mused.

"Yeah, I insult people to get them to play, I guess people like that," Lorelai explained. Chris leaned over and gave Lorelai a quick kiss, a rare form of affection.

"How much longer? I want to go to Luke's," Rory asked. "Luke's is the diner across the street," she explained to her dad, who nodded.

"The place with amazing coffee, I know, I listen sometimes," he goofed.

"Who are you?" Lorelai said to herself. She like this New Chris, who was acting like the Old Chris.

"Lor?" He asked, touching her hand gently.

"Yeah, um I have about ten minutes until I'm off. Go to the dunk booth, Kirk's wearing a sailor's outfit," Lorelai instructed. Ten minutes later, May Forester showed up and Lorelai was free to go. As Kirk climbed out of the dunk take for about the 50th time, Lorelai caught up with her family.

"To Luke's?" Rory asked.

"To Luke's!" Lorelai declared. The three of them walked across the street to the diner. It was late afternoon so the dinner rush hadn't started yet.

* * *

"Hello, Coffee Man," Lorelai addressed Luke when they entered the diner. "Your finest table and three cups of your finest coffee." Luke turned looked up with a small smile, which dropped as soon as he saw the man with her. Deductive reasoning lead to him being her husband. He used his pen to point to an empty table by the window.

"Finest table, with a view of the insanity going on outside. Are you eating?" He said without looking at them. Lorelai looked at Rory and Chris, and they decided to have an early supper. They looked at menus, even though Lorelai and Rory knew what they'd get. A minute later, Luke as over there with a pot of coffee.

"Chris, this is Luke. He owns the place and makes the best coffee. Luke, this is my husband, Chris," Lorelai introduced. Chris held out his hand which Luke shook slowly.

"I've heard good things about you," Chris said. Luke was tempted to say the opposite about Chris, but refrained.

"You too. What'll you have?" The girls had burgers and Chris asked for a BLT. Luke couldn't help but give him a look. He went back to start their orders, taking a peak at them through the cutout in the wall. They looked happy. Lorelai and Chris were smiling, he sat close to her. Things like that made Luke's skin crawl. _Was Lorelai purposely giving off a bad vibe about her husband? Why would she do that?_

Luke never believed that taking space and time apart in a relationship worked, but maybe it did after all. As the dinner rush started, he wasn't able to say goodbye to the Gilmore-Hayden family. He caught a glimpse of them outside. Rory was pointing at the marching band and Lorelai and Chris were looking at each other. His stomach sank when Chris pulled Lorelai in for a kiss. Luke spun around quickly, causing him to bump into the counter, dropping dirty dishes onto the ground. He knelt down quickly to help, also in an attempt to avoid Lorelai. The next time he looked out the window, she was gone.

* * *

That night, Lorelai and Christopher slept together in the apartment, and it wasn't to avoid a fight. They were actually getting along. As she rolled away from his sleeping body, she watched as the lights above Luke's turn out.

* * *

A month passed and Lorelai got into a routine. Monday mornings she would drive to Stars Hollow. She'd stay there all week, with the acceptations of picking up Rory from school, weekly dinners with her parents, and DAR commitments.

Rory's 16th birthday was on a Monday, so Rory came down for the weekend before. Chris was in the Hamptons on business, so it was just the girls. That Friday, before Rory came from school, Lorelai was at the diner. She and Luke exchanged pleasantries, or un-pleasantries, and she told him about Rory's birthday. Like everything else, he brushed it off, and Lorelai expected nothing besides a gruff birthday wish.

"She's staying the whole weekend, even Monday morning before school."

"Well that is a lot of togetherness," he said, preoccupied with a stack of papers behind the counter.

But when Rory got to the diner, Luke said nothing. Lorelai kept expecting him to say it, just a simple "Happy Birthday." But nothing! Lorelai was internally strangling him. But that only produced confusion. _Why am I getting so upset about this?_ She told herself that she was insulted as a mother. But she knew.

They visited Luke's place on Saturday, still nothing. Lorelai figured that Luke just wasn't the kind of guy who celebrated birthdays. He probably had a rant about the materialist effect on children or something. That Saturday, the girls spent the day at a spa getting their hair cut and nails painted. Then they rented all of the "Godfather" movies, even the third one for the soul purpose of the director's commentary, defending his casting of Sophia.

The next morning, they decided to try Weston's. The muffins were better than Luke's, but the coffee couldn't hold a candle to his. Rory had some homework to finish before the next day, and Michel was having an issue at the inn, so Sunday was devoted to work. Chris called on Sunday night to wish Rory a happy birthday. Besides that, Rory and Lorelai spent all of their time together.

Monday morning, Lorelai and Rory entered Luke's for breakfast before Rory left for school. When they walked in, they noticed a small present sitting on the counter.

* * *

Luke hoped that Lorelai and Rory would come to that diner that morning. He didn't do birthdays. He felt them to be pointless and materialistic. But since April was born, he slowly became more okay with the idea. Lorelai told him about Rory's birthday on Friday. Luke knew that she expected him to say something, but he didn't see the point. He would see Rory at least twice before her birthday, so he just waited until Monday. He noticed Lorelai was ticked when he didn't say anything, which made it more fun.

He eyed the square that morning, making sure that they were coming for breakfast. When he saw them walk across the grass, he set out two mugs on the counter, as well as a small present. On Friday after the girls left, Luke asked Lane what she thought Rory would like. She and Rory had talked a few times, so Lane suggested either a book or something book-ish. On Saturday, Luke went to the bookstore in town, looking for anything to give her. He settled on a bracelet with a Jane Austin quote and a gift certificate.

He hid in the kitchen when they entered the diner.

"Well that looks intriguing," he heard Lorelai say. He walked out to the counter. "Luke, what's this?" Lorelai asked as he filled up the mugs.

"I don't know, open it," he told Rory before walking away again. He heard Rory rip into the gift and squeal with joy.

"Luke this is amazing, I love it," Rory said.

"It's not a big deal. Your mom mentioned that it was your birthday today and I saw it at the bookstore and I figured you'd like it," he said humbly.

"It's great, thank you," Rory said. She stood up and ran over to him to give him a big hug. Luke had the coffee pot in one hand, but hugged her with his free arm. Rory gushed over her gift with her mom, and Luke couldn't help but smile. Rory's boyfriend, the blonde one, drove up to get her for school. That left Luke alone with Lorelai.

"You don't fool me," she told him. The smile he had moments ago disappeared from his face.

"I don't know what you're talking about," he denied.

"You've known Rory for a month, and you got her the perfect present," she said. He looked her in the eye and saw that she was truly grateful. Something about her eyes got to him, and he _almost_ cracked a smile.

"I have a daughter, I guess I have a knack for it," he said. "Seriously, it wasn't a big deal."

"It was Luke, it was a huge deal," Lorelai said sweetly. "Thank you." He looked up at her.

"You're welcome," he said, giving her the smallest of smiles, to which she returned a larger one. She checked her watch, then got up to pay.

"Keep it," Luke said. Her face changed. She was still smiling, but Luke noticed that her soft, gratuitous smile shifted to a playful grin.

"Oo, happy birthday to me too," she said. She smiled at him once more before leaving. Luke watched her walk away, that was until Miss Patty gave him a look. He rolled his eyes and got back to work.

* * *

 **I loved the original Rory's birthday episode from season 1. It was the first time I noticed the LL connection and started to ship them.**

 **What did you think? Let me know in the comments. And if you have any** **suggestions, requests, ideas, etc., let me know!**


	7. I Don't Have a Handkerchief

**Thanks for the reviews! It makes my day when I get feedback.**

 **This chapter is a pivotal moment for Lorelai and Chris. *dun dun duuunn***

* * *

I don't have a handkerchief

* * *

A couple months passed and Lorelai's job came with success and some difficulties. Mistakenly thinking that the transition would be done before the first week of December, Lorelai renewed her apartment's lease. She and Chris were doing well. They hadn't fought in weeks, they are more affectionate, and Lorelai felt as if she was falling in love with him all over again.

After work one Wednesday, Lorelai went to the diner to get some work done. She plopped down at the mafia table in the corner and spread out a records book, a notebook, a calculator, and a mug.

"Don't you have an office to do that in?" Luke asked, setting down her favorite coffee mug and filling it with liquid happiness.

"No, I decided to turn the manager's office into a break room for the employees," she said absently as she continued her list.

"What about your apartment? You don't have tables there?" Luke asked. Lorelai looked up from her notebooks.

"Well you see, if I go home, then I'll change into my sweatpants. And if I'm in my sweatpants, I'll want to watch TV. And if I'm watching TV, I'll want some ice cream. And once I've dug into that bowl of ice cream, no work will get done," Lorelai listed off, referencing Rory's favorite childhood book, _If You Give a Mouse a Cookie._

"So if you give a Lorelai some sweats," Luke started, catching the reference.

"She'll lose her job," Lorelai completed the thought. "So, to avoid that, I am here. Plus, you supply me with French fries and coffee. Speaking of, more fries, sir," she gave him a smile. Lorelai loved teasing him, and she loved it when he played along with her bits. Someone entered the diner and a cool breeze found filled the room. Lorelai took a deep breath in and closed her eyes.

"I smell snow," she said. She opened her eyes and looked at Luke, who looked at her like she was crazy.

"What?"

"I smell snow. It's like a superpower. I always know when it's going to snow. I can smell it in the air. It's going to snow tonight," she said, eyes wider than her smile. Luke just stared then shook his head.

"The forecast said it won't snow for another week or two."

"Well the forecast can't smell snow," Lorelai said definitively, then went back to her books.

* * *

Luke watched this crazy woman furiously scribble between two notebooks, looking up every two seconds. He tried his best to ignore it, but her behavior was especially eccentric that night.

"What the hell are you doing?"

"I don't want to miss it."

"Miss what? The snow? That's the big deal?"

"Oh Rory! I wish she was here. Every year, we stand outside and watch the first snow fall," Lorelai said. She seemed genuinely excited about this, but Luke couldn't help but call her out.

"You just keep getting weirder and weirder," he said. He started cleaning up the place, peaking at Lorelai and her insanity. He took a bunch of dirty dishes into the back to clean later, and as soon as he walked back into the dining room, Lorelai grabbed his hand and dragged him outside.

"What the hell are you doing? I have a customer in there!" Luke protested.

"Andrew will survive. Look!" She said, pointing to the sky. Sure enough, small white specks were falling from the sky.

"Well I'll… How did you know?" Luke said, amazed and confused.

"I told you, I could smell it," her smile was so big, so contagious, that Luke couldn't help but to smile up at the sky with her.

"Amazing woman," he muttered louder than planned.

"Wow, a compliment?"

"Better than crazy woman," he said, still smiling a little. He looked at her to find she was already looking at him.

"And a smile! Wow, Luke Danes is actually enjoying himself," she said, obviously proud of herself. Like a switch, he flipped his smile back into the serious straight line everyone knew so well.

"Yeah, well don't tell anyone, I have a reputation you know," he said, the side of his lips curving to a smirk. Lorelai winked at him, then ran into the street, spinning and dancing in the snow. Luke shook his head, yet stayed and watched.

"Amazing woman," he repeated.

* * *

The last Thursday before Christmas break, Rory drove down after school to hang out with Lorelai, who wasn't going to make it home that weekend. Chris had a meeting with Jason and some clients, so it was just Rory meeting her mom at the Inn, and they decided to go shopping to make the apartment more homey.

"The Inn is going to take a lot of work to reach the Group's standards," Lorelai explained. They got coffee at Luke's, he wasn't there, and then walked around until they found the antique shop. When they walked in, they were surprised by the amount of furniture stacked up.

"Hello," a tough looking Asian woman greeted them. "I am Mrs. Kim. You break, you buy. No touching. Lane!" She called. "Lane will help you with transactions, I am going to church." Lorelai wasn't given the chance to respond before Mrs. Kim left the house. The teen from the diner came downstairs.

"Is she gone?" Lane asked. She and Rory had spoken a few times at the diner after Rory wore a Korn t-shirt one Saturday.

"Um, yes?" Rory responded. Lane then took off her sweater, revealing a Queen t-shirt and a Walkman.

"Mama doesn't like rock-n-roll. She says it's the devil's music. The only time I can go listen to it is at school and when she goes to Bible study," Lane overshared. _Oversharing seems to be a common theme in this town_ Lorelai thought. She and Rory looked around for a while before picking out a comfy looking couch and five fun lamps. They took the paper slips to Lane, who was in the middle of a drum solo using wooden spoons.

They paid for delivery, and it would arrive the next day. Lorelai and Rory got Chinese food and just got back to the apartment when she got a frantic call from Paris. Paris dropped her economics notebook in the fountain in her mom's garden. They had an exam the next day and Paris was freaking out about last minute studying.

"Mom, I have to go to Paris' house, she ruined her econ book and she needs it for tomorrow. It's the last exam before winter break. I'll be back in a while," Rory said. Chilton gave the students a full week before Christmas and the full week after for winter break.

"Then how are you going to study?"

"I take excellent notes. Paris does too, but she needs to have the textbook there too."

"I'll come with you, I have to get a suit from my closet anyway," Lorelai said. They both called their house with Christopher "home," even though they both secretly liked the apartment (and Stars Hollow) better.

* * *

The pair popped the Chinese food into the fridge and drove up to Hartford. They stopped by Paris' to drop off the book. Lorelai watched from the car as Paris thanked Rory with a kiss before slamming the door in her face.

"That girl needs a boyfriend. Or a girlfriend, I don't judge externally," Lorelai said. "Next stop, home."

When they entered the house, Lorelai dropped her keys in the jeweled butterfly dish on the table by the coat rack. That's when they heard talking in the parlor. Lorelai didn't realize that Chris and Digger's meeting would be at the house, but then she quickly realized that it wasn't Digger in the parlor. It was a woman. And the sounds she heard were _very_ different than talking. R-Rated sounds were around the corner, 20 feet away.

"Mom?" Rory said, obviously aware of the sounds as well.

"Go upstairs and get all of your school stuff, bathroom stuff, couple changes of clothes for you, and get some clothes for me," Lorelai sternly ordered Rory in the foyer, and Rory ran upstairs with tears in her eyes. Lorelai took a deep breath, trying to control the tears forming in her eyes. She marched into the parlor to find a half-naked Chris and a mostly naked woman. It was his secretary, Whitney. _How original._

"Christopher!" She yelled as if scolding a child. Her husband turned quickly as Whitney covered up with a pillow, looking more annoyed than ashamed. Lorelai couldn't decide if she wanted to cry or kill him. Her body decided to remain frozen for a moment.

"Lor, this isn't-" He scrambled, pulling off a nearby throw blanket over himself, leaving the woman to fend for herself.

"Yes, Chris, it is. Really? In our house? I-I'm leaving, don't follow me," she said before turning back toward the door. Rory came downstairs carrying three bags. She walked into the parlor before Lorelai could stop her.

"Dad? What? Why?" Rory was more confused than anything. Confused, afraid, and angry.

"Rory we're leaving," Lorelai spun her daughter around and they walked hastily out of the house. Chris tried dressing himself while he followed them.

"Lorelai, don't leave, I'm sorry, I—"

"Save it Chris, goodbye," Lorelai said entering the car. She sped off, leaving her husband behind. She and Rory were silent as they drove back to Stars Hollow. They were silent as they walked up to their apartment on the second floor. No one spoke until Lorelai went to make coffee and realized she was out. She walked to Rory's room, where her daughter sat motionless on her bed.

"We're out of coffee," Lorelai said softly. "I'm going to see if Luke's is open." She looked out her bedroom window and sure enough, the lights were still on. "I'll be back." Lorelai walked across the square to get to the diner, then she noticed the sign on the door said **closed**. She went up to the front door, peaked in, not seeing a soul. She knocked for a minute until she could barely stand.

The adrenaline rush was coming down, and Lorelai was just coming to terms with what just happened. Her marriage, 16 years of marriage, ended that night. It was an unhappy marriage, it was doomed before it started, but she didn't think it would end like this, she didn't want it to end like this. Things were just starting to get better, but it was ruined now. Lorelai's hands started to shake as she sat in the cold. She looked at her hands, at her left hand, at her wedding ring. That's when she started to cry.

* * *

Luke was doing dishes in the back when he heard someone knocking at the door.

"The sign says closed, learn how to read," he mumbled under his breath. He finished the pans and went to the counter to dump the coffee pot. He looked outside and saw a person sitting on the step out front. He was about to yell at her for loitering before realizing it was Lorelai.

"Hey," he said as he opened the door. "I didn't hear you. Um, it's closed, but I haven't dumped the coffee yet," he said. Then he heard her sniffle and she faced him, eyes puffy and tears on her cheeks. "Are you…" That's when he saw her holding her wedding ring with her right hand.

"What?" She asled as if she didn't hear him.

"Are you okay? Cuz you don't look okay," he said bluntly.

"Jeez, sailor, take me now."

"Sorry it's just that—"

"No, I'm not okay. Um, sorry, I know you're closed, I just saw your lights were on and didn't know until I read the sign… Sorry, I'll see you tomorrow then," she said. She started getting up when Luke offered his arm. He noticed that she was just wearing a shirt and skirt, no jacket, and that she was freezng.

"Come inside, it's cold," he said. She avoided eye contact as they walked into the diner. He poured her a cup of coffee, emptying the rest into a to-go cup. She sat in a booth for five minutes, slowly sipping her coffee while Luke cleaned up. He tried to keep busy, not knowing what to say. He didn't have a lot of experience with comforting adult women. With his daughter, if she fell down or was upset, he'd kiss her forehead or the bandaged area and give her a hug. That probably wouldn't work here.

He flipped the last chair onto a table and began sweeping, occasionally looking at Lorelai who was doing her best not to cry. She had forgotten a coat, so Luke went upstairs and grabbed one of his favorite blue flannels from his dresser. When he came back downstairs, Lorelai was staring at the rings that used to be on her left ring finger.

"In old movies, this is where the guy would give the girl a handkerchief. Well, I don't have a handkerchief, and honestly, I find that practice outdated and slightly revolting, but here, you look cold," he said, handing over the shirt. Lorelai looked up at him, taking the shirt and putting it on over her blouse. She wrapped her arms around herself, hugging the shirt to her body. Luke couldn't help but to think about how good that shirt looked on her.

"Thanks," she said, her voice crackled.

"You probably don't want to talk about it, but… I'm here, so you can talk if you want," he said, trying to comfort her. She nodded and scooted over, making room for him in the booth. He hesitated, but sat next to her.

"And I have these rings," she said slowly.

"You do."

"These two rings. The engagement ring he gave me when we were 16, and the wedding ring from the ceremony a month later. These rings mean something to me. These mean commitment, love, and truth. These mean to care for each other. Not.. not hurt each other," she said, starting to cry again.

"He hurt you?" Luke asked, taking the word in the physical sense.

"Christopher…" she said. Hearing his name, Luke tensed up, the worst scenario flashed through his mind.

"What happened?" He prayed that Chris hadn't hit her. No one should ever hit a woman, especially one as kind as Lorelai. His sister, Liz, had been abused is several relationships, so Luke was sensitive to the issue.

"He… I walked in on him and… and his secretary," she said after a couple of deep breaths. "I mean how cliché is that? The secretary. At least it wasn't the maid," she tried to joke about it, but it seemed to make her more upset.

Luke sat there shocked. _How could a man cheat on her?_ She started crying again. Luke didn't do crying, especially adult crying. But he put his arm around her and she leaned against his chest. He froze for a moment before putting his hand on her head and held her close. A couple of minutes later, she calmed down, and he slowly released.

"You are going to be okay," he said. "He is scum. The next time I see him, I… his ass is grass."

"Did you just quote _My Best Friend's Birthday_?" Lorelai asked amused.

"I think so," Luke said, proud of himself for the reference as well as making her almost smile. They sat there, his arm still around her. She took some deep breaths, then looked up at him.

"Do you think I'll be able to do it?"

"Do what?"

"The single parent thing? You know more about than me."

"You're already a good mom, why would being single affect that?" He said without thinking. He realized that he could have used gentler words, but Lorelai wasn't offended.

"Thanks. And thanks, for this," she said, nuzzling into him once more. "It really helped."

"Well, you know, I'm here, um, basically all the time. So, stop by if you need to talk. Try not to make it too late though, a guy's gotta sleep," he said with a small smile.

"I will definitely take you up on that," Lorelai said then sighed, shaking off her breakdown. Luke took back his arm and got up. He watched as she put the rings in her purse as she stood up. He started walking back to the kitchen when Lorelai grabbed his arm.

"Here," she said, holding out a five-dollar bill.

"Absolutely not," Luke said, pushing the bill away from him. She smiled and stuffed it in her wallet.

"Goodnight, Luke. Thanks for… you know," she said.

"Anytime. Goodnight," he said. "And Lorelai?"

"Yeah?" She asked from the door.

"You will get through this. You and Rory will be fine," he comforted. Lorelai smiled at him and waved goodbye. "Bye," he whispered at the closed door. He turned off the lights and went upstairs to his bedroom. He watched her walk to Al's and enter the side door. He watched a light turn on. Feeling like a creep, he got ready for bed. Before lying down, he took one last look, just in time to see the last light shut off.

He got in bed, set his alarm, and turned off his lamp. Right before he fell asleep, he had one final thought.

 _Lorelai stole my shirt._

* * *

 **Finally! I wanted to get Chris out of the picture since the prologue. (I mean obviously). Sorry, not sorry to the Lorelai/Chris shippers. Next chapter has more friend/comfort than romance, but be patient, and JavaJunkie will come sooner than you think.**


	8. A Gentlemanly Gesture

**And now with Christopher out of the way, the JavaJunkie-ness can begin!**

 **R &R!**

* * *

 **A Gentlemanly Gesture**

* * *

The next morning, Lorelai woke up with someone in her bed. She rolled over and saw her daughter, dressed in her blue uniform, book in hand.

"Good morning," Rory said, getting off of the bed.

"Morning, Sweets. What time is it?" Lorelai hoped Rory was feeling okay enough to finish her last day of the semester.

"6:30, I wanted to see if you wanted to go to Luke's for breakfast before I leave for school," she said. This kid was perfect. Her parent's marriage just ended, yet she was focused on food. _What a gem._

"No, hun, I don't really feel like leaving today. Tell Luke I say hi."

"Is that his shirt?" Rory asked, pointing at the blue flannel Lorelai was still wearing.

"Yeah, um, it was a gentlemanly gesture," Lorelai said with a small smile.

"Alright, I'm going to go. Love you," Rory said.

"I love you too," Lorelai responded, giving her daughter a hug. Rory left, giving Lorelai the opportunity to cry some more. She didn't want to cry in front of her, even though it would be completely understandable. She wrapped herself in Luke's shirt, his smell still on it.

* * *

Luke was surprised to see Rory that morning. Miss Patty had already started talking about Lorelai's late night visit, but Luke shut that down as soon as he saw Rory walking up.

"Hey, Rory," he started awkwardly as she sat at the counter.

"Hey Luke," she said. "One breakfast sandwich and a coffee to-go please." Luke looked at her, opened his mouth to speak, wanting to ask about her mom, but he couldn't find the words.

"She's okay," Rory answered his unasked question.

"Um what?" He asked, moving to give Caesar the order and to fill up her cup. She handed him a five dollar bill, but he refused it, just as he did with her mother.

"My mom, she's okay. I mean, as okay as someone in her position can be. But if we're talking physical positions, then she's, well, still doing okay, since her bed is comfy and so is that shirt, I'm guessing anyway. I really don't have much to say but thanks and she'll be there all day, but don't feel like you have to check up on her, she'll be fine," Rory rambled. Luke took in the information.

"I might stop by with some food," he said, then leaned over the counter a little and whispered, "How are you?" Rory looked surprised.

"Oh, um," she said, then her eyes started to water.

"Oh, please don't. I don't think the universe can handle two Gilmore girls crying at the same time," Luke pleaded jokingly. It worked, and Rory didn't shed a single tear. "Look, I'll tell you the same thing I told your mom. I'm here if you want to talk. I can't promise I'll give the best advice, but I can listen," he offered.

"Thanks Luke, I appreciated it," she was about to say something else, but stopped herself. Luke went to the kitchen to get Rory's to-go bag.

"What?" He egged. She pointed to his flannel shirt.

"I was wondering if I could get one of those shirts too, they look comfy," she joked. He rolled his eyes and pointed to the door.

"Go to school, learn stuff," he said. When Rory left, Luke looked at Miss Patty.

"Don't you say a word," he warned. Miss Patty seemed to read the situation and gave a silent promise.

* * *

After calling into work, Lorelai slept for a little while longer. Then she took an extra long shower, trying to wash off the memories of the day before. Walked around her room in a towel. _Her_ room. The house she lived in for the past 15 years is no longer her home. This little apartment, originally bought for crashing, was the only home she had left.

Not wanting to get dressed, Lorelai only put on a pair of panties and Luke's shirt before venturing out to the hallway. The white walls and beige carpeting seemed so boring, before she realized that most of the walls and carpets at Christopher's house were various shades of white and beige as well. She hated that house, and she hated the apartment. She needed a new place, a more permanent place. A place untouched by Christopher. She needed to make Stars Hollow her home.

Lorelai pulled out yesterday's newspaper from her briefcase and looked for a home, circling houses she could afford. _Afford_. What was the money situation going to be? How much did divorce lawyers cost? She was relieved that she convinced him to get separate bank accounts a couple years ago. Lorelai had too many questions and too few answers. She poured herself a large glass of wine, _it's five o'clock somewhere_ , then looked at the newspaper and the yellow pages for houses, realtors, and lawyers.

A little passed noon, someone knocked at her door. She got up, praying it wasn't Chris. She looked through the peep hole and was pleasantly surprised.

* * *

"Luke," she said. "Um, come in." She held the door open, Luke keeping his eyes up as he carried in a bag of food.

"Where are your pants?" He asked, noticing she was only wearing his shirt.

"Who needs pants when they're home alone?" Lorelai asked. He set the bag on the counter and pointed at the empty bottle of wine.

"Not wine-o's, that's for sure," he said. He noticed her rings from the night before were sitting on the counter, their fate to be decided later. He opened the cupboards looking for dishes. "You don't own a single plate."

"Who needs plates?"

"Human beings, human beings have plates. Oh man. Well I guess you're eating out of containers today. This weekend you need to buy some plates," he said. "And actual food, your fridge is empty besides beer, wine, and ketchup."

"Why don't you shop for me," Lorelai said.

"I don't know what you like, I barely know you," he said. Lorelai thought about that.

"Yeah, I mean, we've only known each other for two months, and I'm already wearing your shirt and you're bringing me food. Slow down, Danny, you haven't even given me your class ring yet," Lorelai said.

"Yeah, well, I guess you're stuck with me," he handed her a burger and fries, then took out his own. "Rory stopped by the diner this morning."

"Yeah, she asked if I wanted to come with, but I really didn't feel like it. I just wanted to stay in bed, wear your shirt, and drink my sorrows away," she sang. Luke looked at her.

"I want that shirt back, by the way," he said. She started unbuttoning it. "Aw jeez, I want it back later, wash it first." She only managed to undo one button, so no real damage. Luke made sure she ate, then wrote down a list of things she needed to buy.

"Are you going to be okay?" He asked. Lorelai nodded.

"Yeah, I mean, I will be. Thanks for all your help," she said. She stood up to hug him, he kept his eyes, and hands, well above the equator.

"If you don't stop tonight, I'll see you tomorrow?" He asked, trying to get go of her, but she held on tight. There was something, a connection between them, that they both tried to ignore.

"Not if I see you first," she said, squeezing him closer to him. He slowly detached from the inebriated woman.

"Okay then. See ya," he said and he left. Lorelai missed him, whishing that hug had lasted longer. She needed to begin constructing her new life, and that started with one phone call.

"Lorelai?"

"Hi mom."

* * *

The next day, Luke watched Lorelai and Rory walk up to the diner. Their faces looked wary, but they were strong, Luke knew that. Miss Patty tried to keep her mouth shut, but once she and Babette start talking, there's no stopping them.

"Morning," Lorelai said. She and Rory sat at their usual spots where Luke was already pouring their coffee. She wasn't wearing the rings, and Luke didn't expect to see the rings ever again.

"Morning," he said cautiously. He didn't know whether to be quiet or to ask, so he didn't. "What can I get you? We have chocolate chip and blueberry pancakes this morning."

"Oo, chocolate chip, please," Rory ordered, bouncing up and down like a little kid.

"Same for me. And leave the pot," Lorelai said with a smile. _Her marriage just ended and she's back to pestering me like nothing's wrong, amazing_. Luke looked at her through his eyebrows, like he always did.

"I'm not leaving the pot."

"Oh come on, why not?"

"You don't leave a bag of feed in front of an animal in the zoo, do you?" He deadpanned. He figured her 'act like nothing has changed' strategy would work best if he played along.

"Why Luke, I am _offended_. How _dare_ you compare me to an animal?" She feigned hurt, but then leaned forward. "Aside from that, do the pancakes come with a trough filled with maple syrup?" He rolled his eyes and moved on, taking the coffee pot with him.

"She seems to be doing okay," Babette tried to whisper to Miss Patty. Luke refilled her mug.

"She's fine, stop talking about her," Luke hushed.

"Well of course she's fine, she's got you watching over her. We know that you went over there yesterday for lunch," Miss Patty winked. _The women in this town…_

"Yes, she ordered food and I delivered. It's part of my job."

"Mmhmm," the women said in unison.

"Please…" he grumbled. He came back to the counter where Lorelai and Rory were looking over the list Luke left at the apartment.

" _How_ many towels do we need?" Rory was amazed. Luke looked at her, hoping she was joking.

"That's a lot of towels." Lorelai agreed.

"Do we really use that many towels?" Rory asked.

"Only if you do dishes and shower every few days," Luke joined in.

"Oh man," Lorelai sighed. "I don't think remember how to do laundry."

"You're kidding," Luke said. He didn't realize how uppity they really were.

"No, I mean I learned from my nanny growing up, but I don't think I've done it since Rory was a toddler. That's when we got a maid."

"Oh boy," he said.

"Oh Luke," she mimicked. "Do you want to teach me?"

"Excuse me?" He didn't have the patience to teach a grown woman something he's been doing since he was eight.

"No, _teach_ me. I'll probably pick it up quickly, right?"

"I'm certain that you can do anything you put your mind to," he said, looking over at her. He thought she blushed at the compliment.

Lorelai and Rory were about to leave when Luke stepped in front of her.

"You good?" He said in a low voice.

"No, but I will be," she replied. "And you'll have your shirt back as soon as I wash it."

"Good. See ya," he said with a nod.

* * *

The girls' day was spent shopping in New York. Shopping for clothes, Christmas presents (it was only a week away), and things for the apartment. Lorelai brought up the option of buying a house.

"Mom, the apartment is fine. We can get stuff to dress it up, curtains, a bigger TV, could we paint it?"

"No, I asked Taylor and he has forbidden all his residents from painting, because 'the white and beige are a classic combination that will please everyone,'" Lorelai quoted. They stopped at Bloomingdale's to get Richard a tie and Emily a new purse. Lorelai knew that Emily would be returning both gifts, no matter what they were. That's why Lorelai decided to make a trip to New York, because to return it, her mother would have to make a trip. She and Emily were getting along fairly well, but Lorelai still liked to make her mother's life difficult.

The girls shopped for a while, finally deciding on a grey and blue bow tie for Richard and a matching purse for Emily.

"At least they coordinate, maybe Mom will keep them this year," Lorelai said after walking out of the store.

"Maybe," Rory said. "Where to next?" They decided to shop around, getting gifts for everyone they knew. After five hours, the two got into Lorelai's Lexus and returned to Stars Hollow. As soon as they got home, they carried in, then sorted out, the $700 worth of merchandise to make sure they didn't forget anyone.

"We got the tie and purse for Grandpa and Grandma," Rory said, arranging the shopping bag on the seat as Lorelai crossed off their names. "A monogrammed apron for Sookie and a Celine Dion record for Michel, _Celine Dion_?"

"Apparently he's seen her in concert six times," Lorelai said, crossing off their names. They read through the list of family and family friends, as well as new friends from Stars Hollow.

"And finally, a Walkman and cassette tapes of Queen, Frank Sinatra, and Newsies for Lane," Rory said. "And that's everything."

"Oh no," Lorelai said.

"Oh what?"

"We forgot Luke!" Lorelai exclaimed. "How could we forget Luke?"

"We didn't really shop anywhere that he would like," Rory said.

"After everything, he deserves something perfect," Lorelai said.

She and Rory thought for a while before giving up for the day. They headed back to Luke's right before it closed.

"How was shopping?" Luke asked, wiping down an empty table in the corner before walking over to them at the counter.

"Good, we got lots of towels," Rory said.

"Yes, they have puppies on them," Lorelai said with a childish smile.

"Well that's good," he said absently as the phone rang. "The usual?" He asked walking away. The girls nodded and he answered the phone.

"What do you think we could get him?" Lorelai whispered.

"I don't know! An apron? We could get it monogrammed like Sookie's," Rory whispered back.

"Oo, that's good," Lorelai said, pulling a pen from her coat and writing the idea down on a napkin. Then they heard a slam from the kitchen, and their heads snapped up.

"Come on!" Luke yelled. Lorelai and Rory looked over and he was pacing furiously while talking on the phone. "You said you could get it!"

"Maybe his beef guy couldn't get the magic cow," Lorelai joked.

"No, I need it by Christmas! I can't give her a Christmas present in January!" Luke yelled. "This is the only thing she asked for, how do you not have it?" … "Look, I'm a simple guy. I'm just trying to be a good dad. Please, all I need is an OGS 24 inch Ritchey-Chrétien telescope."

"That is very specific," Lorelai said.

"And expensive, the science department had a fundraiser for one this fall," Rory added.

"I'm willing to pay for extra shipping, extra labor, anything. Please," Luke begged.

"Isn't his daughter like, 6?" Rory asked and Lorelai nodded. Luke came back from the kitchen.

"Well thanks for nothing!" Luke yelled and slammed the phone against the wall. It fell off the receiver, so he angrily picked it up, then—more gently but just as angry—put it back on. He went back to the kitchen, the right out with their food.

"Here you go," he said, almost dropping their plates in front of them.

"Someone's hat is on too tight," Lorelai mumbled.

"What?" He asked. He was still huffing.

"Luke, there will be other Christmases. She's six, she will appreciate a telescope more when she's older," Lorelai said, hoping to calm him down.

"I don't like to buy gifts. I don't like getting gifts," he paced behind the counter and started his rant. "I mean, this whole give giving and getting process is completely insane. On a certain date, the level of my affection for a person isn't measured by the way that I treat them or what we share.

"No it isn't!" Lorelai chimed in.

"It's about how much crap I give her, buying her love. I mean just because I didn't buy her the perfect gift, all of a sudden, I suck!" He yelled, then took a deep breath. "But that telescope is the only thing she asked for. How can I not get it for her? I try to be a good father. But this isn't _good_ , is it?" Luke asked.

"Get her something space related," Rory piped in. "Give her a 'build your own solar system' set, or a model rocket. You two could even assemble it together." Luke stopped pacing.

"That's not a bad idea," he said after a minute. "Where would I go to get that stuff?"

"There's a store in the Hartford mall. It's got a bunch of science stuff. Mom got me a chemistry set there once," Rory said.

"The mall?" He asked with a distasteful look.

"Yeah, what's wrong with the mall?" Lorelai asked. He gave her a look. "Rant two begins!" She announced.

"They underpay employees and overprice merchandise, they contribute to urban sprawl, they encourage materialism, and the parking's a horror. You drive in, you pay a buck, and even if you're only there for five minutes. Plus, do you know about the impact malls have on the environment? It isn't pretty."

"Are you done?" Lorelai asked with a smile. She enjoyed seeing him so heated about a topic so minor, it was refreshing.

"Yeah, um, thanks," he said, looking relieved. "She won't mind not getting a telescope?"

"She's six. She wouldn't be tall enough to look through it," Lorelai said bluntly. Luke agreed, then asked them for the address and so on. He decided to go there the next day. He cleaned up while the girls ate. He also gave them the rest of the cherry pie, 'since it would be thrown out anyway.'

"You know something?" She asked Rory as Luke washed dishes.

"What?"

"His hat did actually look a little tight. Maybe he could use new one?" Lorelai whispered.

"That's a good idea!" Rory said loudly, then whispered, "Chilton's uniform store is open tomorrow for students to buy gifts for family. The stuff is half price or something. Do you think he'd wear a hat from school?"

"I don't see why not," Lorelai said. Luke emerged from the back, taking off his flannel, leaving just a t-shirt. For the first time, Lorelai saw the outline of muscles on his arms and torso. And a tattoo. _Sexy_ , she thought.

"Ow, take it off," Lorelai catcalled. He stopped and glared at her.

"Grow up. I dropped a pan into the sink and splashed myself," he rolled his eyes.

"Hey Luke? I have an idea," Lorelai said sweetly.

"If you say something dirty you're going to be banned for life," he said, walking over with the remainder of the coffee.

"Aw man, you beat me to it," she said. "No, so Rory needs to go to Chilton tomorrow to pick up something at school. It's a Christmas present for me so I can't go, plus I have to work. Since you're already going to Hartford, I was wondering if you could take her. That way, she can help you pick out a present for April," Lorelai said. Luke nodded.

"That could work," he said. He turned to Rory, "Does that work for you?"

"Yeah, no problem," Rory said while kicking Lorelai under the table. Luke topped off their coffee and they agreed to meet at 10 o'clock, after the breakfast rush. He took their finished plates and disappeared to the kitchen once more.

"Why would you do that?" Rory asked.

"What? That way you can help him and then I can take your car to work," Lorelai said while avoiding eye contact.

"Why do you need my car?"

"Because mine is out of gas and I don't feel like filling it up," Lorelai smiled and Rory shook her head.

"He's going to see. You don't wear hats. He will find out," Rory said dramatically.

"Relax, tell him you can just run in by yourself and he can wait in the car. You can get me a sweater when you buy his hat, then wrap the hat in the sweater before you get back to the car," Lorelai schemed. Rory accepted the plan. They finished the pie, left money on the table, and called goodbye to Luke.

"See you tomorrow," he called back. As they walked out, Lorelai looked back at him. He was at the counter, already looking at her. He gave her a nod and a small smile, which she returned. She left the diner, looking forward to seeing him next.

* * *

 **The next chapter was one of my favorites to write, stay tuned! I** **f you have any** **suggestions, requests, ideas, etc., let me know!**


	9. Gruffness?

**This was one of my favorite chapters to write because we get to see Luke and Rory bond in a way that they didn't really have the opportunity to in the series.**

 **We're a little past the halfway point of this story, so it's smooth sailing from here, right? There can't possibly be anymore drama, right?**

 **R &R!**

* * *

 **Gruffness?**

* * *

At 9:45 the next morning, Rory walked into the diner.

"Coffee and chocolate chip pancakes, stat," she demanded. Luke gave her the same glare he would give her mother. "Come on, Burger Boy, we don't got all day. And leave the pot."

"You're a little rude this morning," he said, writing the order.

"That's from my mom. She had to go to work early today and told me to annoy you. Did it work?" She asked with her big blue eyes. Luke looked at the sweet girl in front of him.

"Spot on," he said gruffly, giving her a wink. Rory ate until Luke was able to hand the store off to Caesar and Lane.

"Ready?" He asked her. Rory downed the rest of her coffee.

"Yup," she said with a smile, resembling her mother even more. The two left for Hartford in his beat-up truck. The ride was awkward and quiet. Luke didn't know how to talk to her. He could barely talk to his six year-old. They got to the mall, where Rory made a bee-line for the science store.

"This is the astronomy section," she said. "There are some kits, sets, models, diagrams, posters, what are you thinking?" She talks almost as fast as her mother.

"Let's get a model rocket and a solar system like you said. I think she'll like putting them together," Luke said. They picked out the biggest sets and paid, but not before Rory got distracted by looking at a kid's chemistry set.

"Do you want to walk around?" Luke asked as they walked out of the store. Rory stopped suddenly before walking quickly to the left.

"Sure, I mean, Mom and I got all our shopping done yesterday, well except for her gift that I need to get at Chilton, but besides that we have everything. Do you need to do more? I don't mind," Rory said nervously.

"Are you okay?" Luke asked yet again. He hoped he wasn't making her feel uncomfortable. Just then, a man called Rory's name. She and Luke turned around to see a man in a long coat ran toward them. It was Christopher, the reason Rory was acting strangely.

Luke froze. He was so angry at that man, but he didn't want to flip out in front of Rory. To his surprise, Rory stepped closer to Luke, as if for protection. Chris smiled at his daughter, relieved and happy to see her, like nothing was wrong.

"Rory, I've been trying to call you," Chris said. Then he held out his hand to Luke. "Hey man." Luke stared at Chris' hand, refusing to shake it. "I miss you, Rory, and I miss your mom too."

"How can you say that? No, nevermind, I don't want to talk to you," Rory said confidently from Luke's side.

"I'm your father, I deserve—"

"You don't deserve anything! You cheated on Mom. You ruined everything," she said, sounding sad and scared. Luke was amazed by the strength Rory possessed. She must have gotten her sense of independence from her mother.

"I am your father," he repeated, angrier. He stepped closer to them. "You will respect me. You will listen to me. And you will come home," he ordered and reached for Rory's hand. She hid behind Luke, who grabbed Chris' arm. Chris pulled back, but Luke held on tight.

"This is not the place to do this," Luke said, trying to mask the anger in his voice. Luke could smell alcohol radiating from Chris, and it was barely noon.

"You—why are you even here?"

"Rory was helping me pick out a Christmas present," Luke said, unsure why it mattered. Chris' face twisted, a dark smile on his lips.

"For Lorelai, right? That's why you brought my daughter, isn't it. Wow, I can't believe it," Chris laughed. It wasn't a happy laugh. It was angry, evil.

"Believe what?" Luke asked. He could feel another rant coming on, and he tried to restrain himself.

"Be honest with me, pal, how long have you been sleeping with my wife?" Chris asked, a creepy smile on his face. Luke let go of his arm and Rory stayed behind Luke. "I mean you're the reason she wanted to move to that little town, obviously. Let's see, that was about three months ago, so you've been fucking her for at least that time. Am I right?" Luke watched Rory's face turn from surprise to anger at Chris' profane word choice.

"What?" Luke asked. This whole thing was confusing and infuriating. "But weren't you the one who... Why would you even think that I...?" He thought out loud.

"I knew she was cheating on me. I always thought she'd pick someone of a higher… standard, like my partner Jason or her boss Mike. But, you know, I just realized that you would be the perfect subject, pal," Chris said. Luke's fists balled up as Chris continued. "You're just a small-town boy, simple, easy to manipulate, a perfect target for Lorelai. What, did she come crying to you after she found out?" Luke just stared straight, not wanting to give him anything. "Wow, perfect."

"How can you talk about Mom like that?" Rory exploded. Luke put his hand on her arm as Chris shook his head.

"You're too young to understand," he condescended.

"The present is for my daughter, April," Luke said, trying to take Chris' focus off of Rory. "Also, I have _never_ slept with Lorelai. As far as I know, she's never cheated on you. And she isn't your wife anymore, _pal_ , and that is completely your fault," Luke said stoically.

"Give me my child or I will call the police," Chris said, not backing down.

"Try me," Luke said before turning around. He put his arm around Rory and they walked away quickly. Luke's fist was still clenched, ready to throw some punches if Chris followed them. But he didn't. When Luke and Rory turned the corner, Luke looked behind them. Chris had retreated, no phone in hand.

"Is he calling the police?" Rory asked. Luke shook his head and removed his arm from her.

"No, but he might later. I think your mom needs a lawyer, as soon as possible," he said. Rory called her mom and explained everything that happened. Then she gave the phone to Luke.

"Hey Lorelai," he sighed.

"Luke, thank you," she said with a crackling voice, and he knew she had been crying.

"Of course. But Lorelai? You need to lawyer up. Now. Drop what you're doing and call your lawyer. You need to officially get custody. This week." Lorelai said she would get on it, and thanked him again. He gave the phone back to Rory so she could say goodbye. The two stood awkwardly in the middle of the mall. Rory was trying not to cry and Luke was trying not to punch a wall.

"Ice cream?" He suggested. That always made April feel better. Rory's face lit up a little, and they went to the food court. Luke bought her a double cone, getting a small bowl of frozen yogurt for himself. They sat in the food court for a little bit, and Luke asked questions about Rory's school. She happily answered, she enjoyed sharing part of her life with him, especially knowing he was truly interested.

They were about to leave the mall when they passed a jewelry store. Rory walked over and looked at the cases, and Luke followed. He lightly scanned the cases when something caught his eye.

"Hey Rory?" He asked nonchalantly.

"Yeah?"

"Um, would… would your mom like that necklace, right there?" Rory slid against the display case. She looked at it for less than a second before responding.

"Luke, that's perfect!" She said. She opened her purse and counted her money. "Aw man, I don't have enough."

"Maybe I could get it for her," Luke said cautiously. "I mean, since we're going to your school to get her gift from you, unless you'd want to give her both." Rory beamed at him.

"You old softy, I think you should give to her yourself, I mean if it isn't too much money," she said. He shook his head.

"It's no big deal," he said. He got the attention of the employee and bought it right on the spot.

"Luke, she's going to love it," she said. He smiled humbly.

"You think?"

"Definitely. Now I have to get my gift for her, so we should make it over to school. I can't wait for you to see the building, it's really old, historical, and guys seem to love the architecture," Rory gushed. They drove over to Chilton's campus and Rory told Luke he could walk around while she shops.

"I don't mind going with you," he insisted. He was worried about Chris coming back or following them.

"It's fine, look at those columns! I wonder what they're made of," she said, successfully distracting him. He walked around for only 15 minutes before Rory came and got him.

"Got the sweater?" He asked.

"Yup, let's go," she said, acting strange again.

"Can I see it?"

"Oh, um, well it's the one I pointed to when we got here," Rory said.

"Well that's a good choice," he said, not wanting to press her too much. She was probably still thinking about earlier. "Anything else?" He asked.

"Nope, that's all for this trip. Home?"

"Home," he said. _Home_. The drive home was just as quiet as the ride up, but much less awkward. Even though the confrontation with Christopher was terrible, Luke felt like he and Rory got closer. He felt this new urge to protect her, almost as much as he would protect April. When they pulled up at the apartment, where they said they'd meet Lorelai, they saw her sitting out front on the stairs, drinking coffee.

"Mom," Rory said as she ran out of the truck into her mom's arms.

"Are you okay? I am so sorry that happened, sweetie. I am never letting you out of my sight again," she said as she kissed Rory's cheeks repeatedly.

"Yeah, Mom, I'm okay. It was just a little scary. I'm glad Luke was there, he talked to Dad," Rory said, giving Luke a small smile.

"It was no—" Luke started.

"Yes Luke, it was a huge deal," Lorelai said. She let go of Rory and gave Luke a kiss on the cheek and a big hug. Luke froze for the second time that day, but quickly hugged back. This was the first time Lorelai thoroughly invaded his personal space. And he didn't mind. Lorelai invited him upstairs for some coffee, or tea in his case.

"I just didn't think the mall was… the best place for a conversation like that," Luke said as they released and made their way upstairs.

"Is there a best place?" Lorelai asked.

"A mediation room with witnesses."

"Good point. What did he say?" She and Rory sat on their couch, Luke stood in next to a chair.

"What do you mean?"

"Rory only told me that Chris came and said things that upset the two of you. I was just wondering what he said," Lorelai specified. Luke looked at Rory, who twisted her mouth telling him that she didn't know what to say.

"He accused you of cheating," he said slowly.

"What? Why? Why would he bring that up when he was the one…" She took a deep breath. Luke shook his head.

"Look, it's not important. All that's important is that you get custody, now."

"I called my parents' lawyer after you called me. I'm going to meet with them tomorrow. The waiting period for a divorce is 90 days, but with my dad's connections, they think they can get the custody issue done before Christmas."

"A week for custody? What kind of lawyers do you have?"

"Really good ones, apparently," Lorelai shrugged. "The actual divorce process takes around 6 months."

"Yeah, that's how long mine took," Luke said, almost forgetting his marriage to Anna five years ago. Lorelai nodded and turned to her daughter.

"I'm sorry you had to see your dad like that, you deserve better," she said to Rory, then to Luke. "And you too, I know you didn't sign up for any of this."

"Technically I didn't sign up for anything," he clarified, "I mean, I just make your coffee, but somehow I got roped in to spending time with you two," he said with the smallest of smiles, making Lorelai roll her eyes with a small smile of her own. "I'm actually glad Rory was there for _me_."

"Why?" Rory asked.

"Because, if you weren't there protecting me, I might have a bruised face right now," Luke said. "Thanks for going shopping with me."

"Oh yeah! What did you get April?" Lorelai asked. Luke sat down and they talked about the science store. After a while, Luke had to get back to the diner, but promised to come back around dinner with some food.

* * *

"What else did your dad say?" Lorelai asked Rory as soon as Luke left.

"Really mom, it was nothing. Please, I just want to forget what happened," Rory said. She pulled out the bag. "Here's your sweater and the hat," she said pulling out the merchandise.

"This is great! The blue will bring his eyes," Lorelai said. Rory gave her a look. "What?"

"Since when have you noticed Luke's eyes?"

"No, I mean, when we talked about the hat, I wondered what colors would look good on him and I _saw_ that he had blue eyes, so blue would really make them pop!" She said with hand motions. "I didn't _notice_ , I _saw._ " Rory rolled her eyes and shrugged.

"Whatever," she said. They sat there for a while.

"You know, after today…" Lorelai trailed off.

"What?"

"After today, I think Luke deserves more than a hat. Doesn't it seem a little…"

"Weak?" Rory offered.

"Yeah, weak, lame, insignificant. I mean don't get me wrong, the hat is great and he'll love it, but he deserves more, you know?"

"I agree. Don't tell him, but I was worried that Dad was going to hurt him," Rory said slowly.

"Honey, your dad wouldn't hurt anyone," Lorelai assured her.

"But he got into a fight with his partner a couple months ago! I saw Jason when he picked up Kylie the day after. He had a black eye! What grown man gets a black eye?" Rory questioned. Lorelai had no reply.

"Why don't you go wrap his present before he gets back. I'll think of something else," Lorelai suggested. Rory nodded and went to Lorelai's room, which had been turned into Santa's workshop.

Two holiday movies later, the door buzzer went off. Rory jumped at the door, letting Luke in. She opened the door for him, and he walked in with five bags of food.

"Merry Christmas to us!" Lorelai laughed. "Luke, how much do you think we can eat? I am certainly offended."

"The first time I met Rory, you two ate burgers, chili fries, pie, and an entire pot of coffee," he said. "Plus, I'm eating here too." Lorelai smiled at the fact that he remembered. Lorelai went to the fridge and pulled out two beers and a soda, for her, Luke, and Rory respectively.

"How rude of you, to just invite yourself into our house and eat our food. These small-town folks you know," she said to Rory, who giggled. Luke straightened out and paused for a second, then continued to distribute the food. They ate while talking about their favorite Christmas memories. Before they knew it, it was 8 o'clock.

"Luke, don't you have to close the diner?"

"Caesar jumped at the chance to close for once," he brushed off. The three of them had moved to the couch. Lorelai and Luke on either side, Rory separating them in the middle. Lorelai looked over at the gruff man sitting on her couch, who was smiling at her daughter while she told Luke a story about her first cup of coffee. Lorelai realized that Luke had spent more time with Rory that day than Chris had that entire month. They decided to pop in a movie, and Luke fell asleep within the first twenty minutes. The girls finished the movie, then Rory went to bed.

Lorelai started cleaning up the takeout bags and containers, plotting how she would wake up Luke. She plopped down next to him on the couch, watching him sleep.

"What kind of person falls asleep during _The Shining_?" She asked his sleeping body. He looked so calm as he slept. His face was relaxed for the first time, no wrinkled eyebrows, no frown lines, just a calm expression covered by a thin layer of scruff. She started poking his face, the most annoying way she could think of how to wake him. Slowly he stirred, then flinched a bit when he saw her in his face.

"What the hell?" He asked, swatting at her hands.

"Who falls asleep during _The Shining?_ " She asked again.

"Someone who's seen it ten times and woke up at 4:45 this morning," he said rubbing his eyes. "Aw, Lorelai, I'm sorry for falling asleep."

"No, it's okay. You had an interesting day," she sighed. "Luke, can I ask you something?"

"Sure," he said. They were facing each other on the couch, arms supporting them against the back of the couch.

"What did Chris say?"

"Lorelai, I already told you."

"There's something else, isn't there?" She asked. His silence answered her. "What else did he say? Come one, you're killing me Smalls, I need to know," she pleaded. He looked at her and gave in.

"He accused you of cheating on him… with me," he said slowly. Her eyes went wide.

"Really?" She said, honestly surprised. "Why would he say that?"

"He… said that you liked to target guys who… weren't smart, who were easily manipulated. A small-town guy, like me," he struggled to explain. "And he wasn't really wrong. I barely got an associate's degree before opening up the diner. I somehow get convinced to do things for basically everyone in town. And yeah, I've lived here all my life. I'm as small-town as it gets," he said, shrugging and looking at his pants.

"Oh Luke, that… He should not have said that to you. You are so much more than a small-town guy. And obviously, you aren't dumb. You're kind and even a little sweet, underneath all of that… gruffness," she smiled.

"Gruffness? Is that even a word?"

"It is now," she giggled. "Luke, if you ever got the impression…"

"What?" He said a bit quickly.

"I hope you don't think I'm using you. I mean, I know I can be a little pushy sometimes," Lorelai admitted.

"A little?"

"Okay, a lot pushy. But right now, I just need to know I have stability in my life. I have… well, Rory for the most part, I have my parents, and the Inn, and this town. I just… want to make sure that I have you. I mean I think—"

"You do," he said. She noticed how close they were. They sat there, looking at each other for a moment before Luke gave her a small smile then stood up.

"Thanks again, for dinner," she said.

"Anytime. I'll see you tomorrow?" he asked.

"So, sorry, I have found a better coffee place. We're running off together, never to return," she joked. He shook his head.

"Never change," he said with a smirk, then he left.

"I don't plan on it," Lorelai said to the closed door. Lorelai stood up and got ready for bed. She was putting on her pajamas when she found Luke's shirt under yesterday's clothes. She picked it up, fingering the edges and the fabric. She brought it to her face, recognizing his scent from their hug earlier today. She slipped her arms in, and wrapped the shirt around herself, curling up under the covers of her bed.

 _Never change._

* * *

 **The next chapter is Christmas! This is really fun to write, and thanks to everyone still following/reading the story.**

 **I** **f you have any** **suggestions, requests, ideas, etc., let me know! Reviews make my day, almost as much as my morning coffee.**


	10. Where Are My Cookies?

**Thanks for the great reviews! One of my favorite characters makes his entrance in this chapter, stay tuned!**

 **I probably won't update for a few days. I have exams in my Spanish 480 and 483 classes this week, as well as in Bio and I have an English midterm paper due, so I'm going to be busy.**

 **R &R!**

* * *

 **Where are my cookies?**

* * *

The next week was filled with lawyers and meetings, anger and tears, little sleep paired with lots of coffee. It took a week, but Lorelai was officially, legally, and emotionally separated from Christopher, as well as getting full custody of Rory. Christopher cooperated much better than expected. Despite the waiting period, arrangements were made so that when the 90-day period is up, it shouldn't take more than a month to settle the rest. He will keep the house, obviously. They'll their respective cars, and they will pay half of Rory's tuition, along with agreeing to split payment for four years of college. He was granted visitation to Rory at family functions and if she and Lorelai approved a meet up. Lorelai sent Sookie to get their things, which Emily had organized for pick up.

Saturday, Lorelai's first day of freedom via separation, was spend in bed. 16 years of marriage: finished. Lorelai would say that her biggest regret was how it ended, but really, it was that she stayed with him that long, that she married him at all. She had put her rings in her jewelry box, not wanting to make a decision until after the separation. As she looked at the symbols she had work for 16 years, Lorelai started to cry once more.

"Mom," Rory said softly from the other side of the closed door. "Can I come in?"

"No, Rory, I... I need to wallow today."

"Wallowing goes better with a buddy," Rory offered. Lorelai thought for a moment before telling her daughter to join her.

"Okay," was all Lorelai said before Rory slowly opened the door and walked into the room.

"Mom, are those..." she started to ask, pointing at the rings Lorelai was holding between her fingers.

"Yes," she said as the sobbing ceased. "I... I don't know what to do with them. Do I save them? Do I give them to you? Do I throw them in the river while blasting Green Day?"

"Well... we can't throw them in the river, because the rings didn't do anything, did they? I think they deserve a new life, just like you do," Rory said carefully.

"You're right, as usual," Lorelai said. "Do you know when the jewelry store closes?" Rory searched the phone book and read that the store closed that afternoon, so Lorelai could wallow a little bit longer.

At 3:30, Lorelai and Rory, hand in hand, walked to the small jewelry store across the square. On the way, they passed Luke's. A look passed between the two, and they silently agreed that they'd need some liquid courage to complete the task.

* * *

"Hey," Lorelai greeted quietly as she and Rory sat at the counter.

"Well that was uncharacteristically mellow for you. Everything go okay yesterday?" Luke asked, hoping she got full custody.

"Yeah, everything went fine. I'm just... well we're..." she, for the first time since he'd known her, couldn't say what she was feeling. She just held out her hand. When she bared her palm, Luke saw two rings had been clutched in it.

"Your rings," he said dumbly.

"Yeah, my rings. I was thinking about a viking funeral, but they would be disrespectful to vikings," Lorelai tried to joke.

"And to the environment," Luke added.

"Yeah, that too. So, Rory made a good argument," Lorelai said, giving her daughter the floor with a hand gesture.

"We're going to give them a new beginning. They weren't at fault, so they shouldn't get punished. So we're going to sell them to the jewelry store. Hopefully they will go to a good home," Rory explained. Luke thought them personifying the rings was a little crazy, but he understood what they were talking about.

"Luke, what did you and Anna do with your rings?" Lorelai asked.

"Oh, um," he said, taken back by the question. "Well, since our marriage ended on... different terms than yours," he said gingerly, "we decided to give them to April. Kind of saying that even though her parents were divorced, we are still a family with her. I think Anna put the rings on a chain together or something. But like I said, it was different."

"Luke, that's beautiful," Lorelai said, and Luke saw tears forming in her eyes.

"Lorelai, the hard part is over. Getting rid of the rings is the last step, until signing the papers. You're going to be fine. Both of you. Believe me," he almost pleaded. Lorelai looked at him.

"No, I'm not," she said, giving him a small smile. "Sorry, they're... They're happy tears, mixed with the sad of course. But that was really nice, Luke. Thanks."

"Yeah, well," he was bashful. "Don't get used to it. Once you're back in fighting shape, so am I." He said. He poured them two coffee's to-go, as directed, and the girls were on their way. He hoped that selling the rings meant she felt the freedom she was thrown into.

As he wiped down the counter, in the back of his head, he thought about a small, slim possibility of him having a chance with her. He almost laughed at his thoughts, but he enjoyed the idea.

* * *

On Sunday, Christmas Eve, Richard and Emily were hosting their annual Christmas party. Lorelai knew that Chris wouldn't be there, as per a specific time-related "sensitivity" agreement made by the lawyers. But his parents would still be there, which Lorelai was not looking forward to. She and Rory pulled up to the front door of the Gilmore Estate, where a valet took her keys and parked it on the south lawn.

"Ready?" Lorelai asked her daughter. Rory wasn't as close with her paternal grandparents as Richard and Emily, but she saw them at major holidays and they called on her birthday.

"Ready."

It wasn't as bad as Lorelai thought. They ate about a million apple tarts while about a million people asked about the divorce, to which they answered, "Now that isn't polite party conversation, is it?" It was going fine until the Haydens got there. The room quieted, and Lorelai felt a lump in her throat. She walked right up to her ex-parents-in-law.

"Rory!" Francine exclaimed, hugging her granddaughter. "No matter what's happening with _them_ , we still love you."

"And Lorelai," Straub started. Lorelai prepaid for the worst. "I would like to apologize on the behalf of me and Francine. What Chris did… I mean he had his reasons, but that is no excuse."

"He had his reasons?" Lorelai questioned. The wallowing process had begun its anger stage, but she tried to remain civil. "You know what, I don't want to fight, I mean it's Christmas, right?" She turned to the crowd, smiling. "I accept your apology." She shook his hand. After that conversation, Lorelai felt a lot better. She talked to Francine about Rory's college prospects and Straub talked with Richard about _paying_ for those college prospects.

"She'll go to Yale, just like her mother and just like her grandfather," Emily said during dinner. Lorelai would never forget the proud looks on her parents' faces when she graduated from Yale when she was 25.

"You never know, Mom, she might decide to go to _Harvard_ ," Lorelai whispered the bad word. Lorelai knew the truth, which was, Rory had been looking at Harvard and Princeton, as well as the family alma mater, Yale.

"Don't joke about such things," Richard said while laughing, "Gilmores have been going there for generations, and you are no different." The rest of the party went well, no major fights, brawls, or bloodshed, so Lorelai called it a success. After the guests left, the family exchanged presents.

"Oh, it's a tie! I could always use another one of those," Richard said sincerely.

"I'm glad you like it," Lorelai beamed.

"Lorelai, you got me a purse to match his tie," Emily said. "That's actually not horrible."

"I'm glad you like it," Lorelai repeated, voice a little grimmer. Lorelai got a weekend spa trip for one, and Rory got a new laptop. They decided to spend the night at the Gilmore's.

"Tonight wasn't too bad," Rory said as they climbed the staircase to bed.

"I surprisingly agree," Lorelai said. "Tomorrow we go around the town, spreading holiday cheer," Lorelai planned.

"I can't wait for Lane to see the tapes, and for Sookie to get the apron! And for…" Rory continued, but Lorelai was only thinking of one person she wanted to see tomorrow. Since they got a good price on the rings, Lorelai knew exactly what she was going to spend the money on. Hopefully he'll accept.

* * *

Luke spent that weekend with April. She loved her presents and didn't even care about the telescope. They spent most of Saturday setting up the rocket. When Anna came to pick her up the next morning, she pulled Luke aside.

"You're a good dad," she said.

"I try, I mean I had a little help with the gift, but the thought is all there," he said. She smiled at him, then took April's bags to the car.

"I'll see you in a couple weeks," Luke said, kneeling down next to her.

"I can't wait to show grandma my rocket!" She said. April gave her dad a big kiss on the cheek and an even bigger hug.

"Bye Daddy," she waved from the window.

"Goodbye, kiddo," he said as he waved back, a little sad to see her go. He kept his diner open, even though he wouldn't be getting a lot of business. He caught himself staring at the snow as it fell from the sky. He touched his pants pocket, making sure the necklace was still there.

Not much past noon, and Lorelai and Rory were walking along the square, handing out presents from an actual, swear-to-God, large, red Santa sack. Random people off the street were getting small boxes. He watched them go store to store, house to house. Almost everyone in the town was getting something, besides him.

* * *

Luke was writing in a notebook when they hauled their deflated sack into the diner.

"Ho ho ho, Merry Christmas!" They said at the same time. He looked at them.

"Did you guys practice that?"

"All of last night," Lorelai admitted.

"Where did you guys get all of that stuff? You were handing out presents like Oprah."

"After the festivities last night at my parents' place, which wasn't as bad as anticipated, there were a lot of left over Christmas cookies. So we stole them, got cute little boxes from the caterer, and gave them to everyone we saw," Lorelai explained.

"Where are my cookies?" He asked. Lorelai smiled, accidentally flirtatiously.

"You aren't getting cookies."

"Well that's a little thoughtless. Random people outside get something but I don't?" Luke asked, and Lorelai knew he was mostly joking.

"We got you something better," Rory said. She pulled out a gift bag from the sack. "Merry Christmas, Luke." He hesitantly took the bag. He pulled out three sheets of tissue paper before getting to the good stuff.

"A hat," he said with a smile on his face.

"Yeah, it's sort of a 'Thank you' for everything you've done lately," Lorelai said.

"It's from my school, see the big C on the front? I got it when I said I was getting Mom the sweater," Rory giggled. Luke took off his brown cap and tossed it to the table, then bent the bill of the new one before Lorelai snatched it.

"No, allow me, kind sir," she said, putting it on front-ways. He looked at her from under the bill. They laughed as she flipped it around and he adjusted it. "Boy does that look wrong."

"I really like it, thanks," he said, not breaking eye contact with Lorelai. "I have a present for you too," he told Rory. He went behind the counter and pulled out a poorly wrapped box and handed it to Rory. She opened it and revealed a chemistry kit.

"You said your mom got you one when you were a kid, and I saw you looking at it in the store, so I drove up to Hartford a coupe days ago and got it," he explained.

"Luke, this is awesome, thank you," she said as she went over and gave him a hug. He hugged her back just as he hugged his daughter earlier that day.

"There's also a gift card for the bookstore in the mall taped on the other side," he said, "Just in case you don't actually like the set." Rory spotted Lane outside and ran to give her the forbidden devil's music.

"Do you want anything to eat? I can whip up anything you like," Luke offered.

"Just a side of fries for now, I'll wait until Rory comes back," she said. He came back in a few minutes with a plate of hot fries.

"Fries, on the house," he said.

"Awe, is that my gift? Thanks," she joked. "I actually have another thing for you." She reached into the sack and pulled out an envelope and gave it to Luke.

* * *

"Dinner?" He read off the homemade certificate.

"Yes, I'm taking you out to dinner, my treat," Lorelai said confidently. Luke held the certificate in his hands.

"Why? I mean the hat is great, so why this?"

"Because the hat was from me and Rory, this is just from me. I wanted show how much I appreciated your help this last month. You were really there for me, basically a stranger, and I wanted to thank you for that," she rambled. "I mean you don't have to take me. I can get an actual certificate from somewhere and you can take April or a girlfriend…" Luke held in a sarcastic laugh at the thought of him having a girlfriend.

"I think it'd be nice," Luke said.

"Nice?"

"Yeah, it'd be nice to get dinner, you and me." _Play it cool, Luke._

"Oh, well, good," she said. They stood there, pleased, when he remembered the necklace.

"Oh, um, I have something for you," he said, patting his pockets.

"Well the fries were more than enough," she joked. He pulled out the slender box from his pocket.

"Luke, you didn't have to," she said, recognizing it was a gift of jewelry.

"I wanted to. Merry Christmas," he said, hoping she's like it.

* * *

Luke's voice was low and serious. Lorelai was curious. She took the box and opened it.

Inside was snowflake pendent on a silver chain. Lorelai touched it to make sure it was real. It was possibly the most perfect gift she ever received.

"Luke, this is beautiful," she said amazed. _Must have been expensive._ She looked up at him. He wasn't smiling, but he wasn't frowning either. She had never seen that expression before, a straight lip but soft eyes. "I love it."

"I'm glad," he said, expression unchanging.

"Wanna help me put it on?" She took it out of the packaging and handed it to Luke, then turned to face the door. He brought the necklace in front of her and she held her hair forward. As he brushed missed strands from the back of her neck, Lorelai got goosebumps. He clasped it behind her, his fingers barely touching her skin.

"All set," he said. She faced him and looked at the snowflake.

"This is seriously perfect," she said. "It's almost too much, especially from someone who hates giving gifts."

"Well I know how much you like snow," he said humbly. "I mean it isn't a big deal, but I saw it and, well, bought it, so yeah."

"I love snow. I love this. Thank you," Lorelai said before giving him a hug. Unlike the last time they hugged, Luke squeezed back right away. Lorelai wouldn't even call it a hug; it felt like an embrace, like they were more connected than before. Then Rory came back and they separated.

"Did you give her the necklace?" She asked.

"You knew?" Lorelai was surprised. They sat at the table and Lorelai showed Rory the necklace.

"Yeah, we saw it by chance when we went to the mall for April's present," Rory said. Lorelai gave Luke another smile.

"Oh Luke, you're never getting rid of us now," she said. "We like you too much."

"I'll start digging the trenches," he said with that same expression. Lorelai was surprised that he still remembered their hurricane bit from forever ago.

"Bring your raincoat," she said. As they looked at each other, Lorelai felt a vibe. She felt something she hadn't in a decade. The hat really did bring out his eyes, in which she was getting lost. She didn't know what was happening, but she liked it.

* * *

The rest of the year went smoothly. Lorelai spent New Year's with Sookie and her boyfriend Jackson, the produce guy. Rory partied with her Chilton friends, but not without drama regarding her boyfriends. A few weeks passed and Luke and Lorelai still hadn't set a date for their date.

"It's not a date," Lorelai insisted to Rory. "I'm just showing my appreciation."

"Yeah, by taking him on a date," Rory said with a little sass. They were walking around the square one day after Rory came home from school.

"Does it bother you that it looks like a date?"

"Well, it's a little fast, isn't it? I mean you and dad just got separated a month ago," she said. Lorelai sighed.

"I know. I didn't think it seemed so much like a date when I gave him the certificate. Honey, I don't want to date Luke. He's great, but I am not ready for that," Lorelai explained, trying to convince herself more than Rory.

"Mom, if you like him, you should date him, it's fine," Rory said. They were silent for a minute. "If you date him, would we get discounts at the diner?" The girls shared a smile.

"Honey, when I decide to start dating again, I will run it by you first," Lorelai said, giving her daughter a side hug as they rounded the corner to Luke's. When they walked inside, Luke was arguing with a teenage boy.

"When you live here, you work here. You will work every day, before school, after school, and on weekends. You will go to school five days a week," Luke strictly told him. The boy rolled his eyes and walked out of the diner. "And you will not walk away from me when I'm talking to you!" Too late, the guy walked past the Gilmore girls and out of the building.

"Who is _that_ wonderful gentleman?" Lorelai asked him. Luke huffed and absently set down the coffee pot in front of them. Lorelai looked at Rory. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Lorelai snatched up the pot and poured some for herself and Rory. Luke returned mid-pour and just stared at her.

"Does no one have respect for me anymore?" He asked. As soon as she was done pouring, Luke took back the pot.

"So, Luke, is everything okay? You seem a little off," Lorelai asked sarcastically. He huffed and gruffed around some more before returning to the counter.

"Liz is something else," he grumbled. Lorelai's first thought was that Liz was Luke's girlfriend.

"Who's Liz and why are you so mad at her?" Lorelai asked.

"She's my sister. Now, her son, Jess—"

"The rainbow that floated out of here?"

"Yes, well he got kicked out of two schools in three years. She couldn't handle him, his dad doesn't know what to do, so she shipped him off to me for the remainder of the school year. He arrived yesterday, and I am already tired of his attitude," Luke ranted.

"It's been a while since we've seen Ranting Luke," Rory poked.

"I already take care of my daughter, I do not need to take care of a teenage... monster," he said.

"If anyone can set him straight, it's you," Lorelai encouraged.

"Yeah but I don't want to! He's messy and irritating," he ranted some more.

"Give him time to adjust, it'll be okay," Lorelai said. Luke just shrugged and went back to work.

"Are you going to ask him about the dinner?" Rory asked quietly. Lorelai shook her head.

"Not today, he seems really wound up right now," she said. Rory shrugged.

"Or it might make him feel better," she suggested. Lorelai didn't know what to do, which was fine because she didn't have to decide.

"Hey Lorelai," Luke said. "Um, I know it might not be the best time, with Jess, but would you want to go out this Friday?" Lorelai's heart leaped just a little.

"Go out?" She repeated, feeling her heart rate rise.

"Yeah, I mean the dinner you gifted me," he shifted awkwardly. _Was he nervous?_

"Oh, yes, I was just going to ask about that. Yeah, Friday works great for me," she said.

"Really? Well, good… yeah, good," he smiled until Jess returned. "What are you doing back here?"

"I forgot a book," Jess mumbled before going back upstairs.

"That kid," Luke grumbled.

"So does this place serve food or just complaints?" Lorelai asked. "Because I'm fine with either, but the pricing would have to be negotiated a bit.

"I'm sorry," he exasperated. "What'll you have?" The girls ordered and he went back to the kitchen to make it right away. While he was there, Jess came down.

"Go, he's in the kitchen," Lorelai whispered. Jess nodded at her, then looked at Rory.

"Hey," he said.

"Hey," Rory replied. They stared at each other for a little bit, then he left quickly.

"What was that?" Lorelai asked.

"I don't know," Rory was embarrassed.

"Who are you going to dump?"

"What?"

"I mean unless you're going to date three guys at the same time, Brad or Tristan?" Lorelai teased.

"Mom, I'm not going to date Luke's nephew. We couldn't date them at the same time, it'd be weird," Rory said.

"Luke and I aren't dating, we're going to dinner, it's different," Lorelai defended. Luke returned in a minute with their food.

"Did the kid come down yet?" He asked.

"Yup, he stared at my daughter before leaving," Lorelai nudged Rory, who rolled her eyes and dug into her food.

"He stared at you?" Luke asked, obviously defensive of Rory.

"They had a _moment_. I'm thinking love at first sight," Lorelai joked. She knew Jess was trouble, but he couldn't be worse than her current boyfriends.

"Oh boy," he said.

"Alright Sam Beckett, get back to work, will ya?" Lorelai teased. Luke looked at her, a confused smile barely crossing his face. Luke gave an approving nod to the reference before making the coffee rounds. The girls finished their food and Rory left for school. Lorelai asked for the bill and saw that he took off half the cost.

"Luke, what gives?" She waved the bill.

"I made you wait, half off," he said like it was nothing.

"Luke, are you trying to butter me up before our dinner?" Lorelai couldn't help but flirt a little bit, almost saying _date_ instead of _dinner_.

"What? No, I'm just… do you want to pay full price?" He asked after getting momentarily flustered. She smiled at him and shook her head. She paid and gathered her things.

"See you Friday," he said. "Well, before that, but you know."

"See you later," Lorelai said, smiling at how nervous he seemed, before realizing that she was nervous too. "I'll stop by at 7:00?"

"7:00 would be good."

"7:00 then," she smiled at him once more before leaving for work. The butterflies she had been trying to ignore all night hadn't gone away. If anything, they got worse. And Lorelai was okay with that.

* * *

 **Anyone watch Quantum Leap? No? Just me? Well you should. Unfortunately it isn't on Netflix anymore, but you can probs get it from your local library, that's what I did in high school.  
**

 **So it was Jess! A little bit for my Literati readers. Should I make him and Rory date or just be friends? Cuz I always thought it would be weird for the girls to be dating the guys at the same time.**

 **What did you think? Let me know in the comments. And if you have any** **suggestions, requests, ideas, etc., let me know!**


	11. Don't Get Any Ideas

**Time for the date-not-date! This does not include Sniffy's Tavern, unfortunately. But it does include some more backstory on our lovebirds.**

 **R &R!**

* * *

 **Don't get any ideas  
**

* * *

After the longest week ever, Friday finally came around and Lorelai was excited. It was the first time in about 17 years that she went out with someone other than Christopher. She had forgotten the rush of excitement paired with nerves. She had no idea what to wear, and when she asked Rory, Lorelai was confronted with questions she had been avoiding all week.

"Mom, you said it wasn't a date, so it doesn't matter, right?" Rory asked as she stood at the door of her mom's room.

"Right, yeah, totally. But, it's like a date. It's like a test run, a practice, knocking off the rust. It's been so long," Lorelai explained.

"I know, but just don't freak out. Dating isn't a big deal," Rory brushed off. Then she picked out a brown skirt and a blue sweater. "Here, it brings out your eyes."

"Thanks, Sweets. Do you want to walk over with me? Get some dinner?" Lorelai called from the bathroom where she was changing.

"Sure, why not," Rory called back. "I don't have plans tonight." Now that was strange. Rory always had plans on Fridays, either with her friends or boyfriends.

"Why? What's up?"

"Brad and Tristan got into another fight and their only solution was to break up with me, both of them," Rory said. Lorelai came out of the bathroom to find Rory pouting on her bed.

"Oh, Rory, I'm sorry sweetie. Boys suck sometimes. Why didn't you tell me earlier?" She asked, sitting next to her daughter, arm draped around her shoulders.

"It happened today, and you were busy getting ready for your non-date so I didn't want to bring you down," Rory explained. "It's probably for the best. I mean, who has two boyfriends? I shouldn't be sad, but, it sucks."

"I'm your mom, when you're down, I'm down," Lorelai said. They talked for a little bit longer, and when they decided Rory was okay, Lorelai went back to getting ready.

At 6:45, they started walking over to Luke's. It was a warmer day for the first week of February. Kids were running around any people waved as the girls walked by.

"I think this is going to be fun," Lorelai said.

"Good, you should have fun," Rory agreed. They were all smiles when they walked up to the diner. When they walked in, that mood changed dramatically. April was there. Coloring on what appeared to be Lane's biology homework. Luke was no where to be found, only Lane and Caesar.

"Where's Luke?" Lorelai asked Lane.

"He's upstairs with Anna," Lane responded. Lorelai's heart dropped. Luke's ex-wife was there. On the day of their date. _Why?_

"Hey April," Rory said to Luke's daughter. They met around Thanksgiving, when April convinced Luke to let her hang hand-turkeys from the counter, and Rory helped her trace. "What are you coloring?"

Before April could answer, Anna and Luke came downstairs. _He cleans up well_ , Lorelai thought. He was wearing a nice shirt and dress pants, something she had never seen him in before. Anna walked to her daughter, kissed her on the head, then said,

"Mommy will be back in a few days. I'll tell Grandma that you said hi."

"G'bye, Mommy," April said, not looking up from her coloring book of bugs. Anna waved goodbye to Luke, then left.

"Luke?" Lorelai asked. He shook his head and gestured for her to follow him upstairs. She had never been in his apartment before, but she couldn't make a comment before Luke spoke.

"I'm sorry, but I have to cancel tonight," Luke said regretfully.

"Oh," Lorelai got a pit in her stomach. "Because of April?"

"Yeah," he said and he took a deep breath. "Anna's mom fell earlier today, and they think she broke her hip. Anna could only get one short-notice ticket to New Mexico today, so she dropped April off here," he said.

"That's too bad," Lorelai said. She was way more bummed that she thought she'd be.

"I'm really sorry. I mean I was… I wish we could still go," he said.

"Rain check?" Lorelai said with a small smile.

"Definitely," he nodded like he meant it. They walked downstairs where Rory was showing April her astronomy text book.

"See, here are the nine planets, earth's moon, the asteroid belt, and the sun," she said. April pointed at the page.

"What's this?"

"This is a satellite, it moves messages around the world," Rory said. April asked more questions and Rory had the answers to most of them. Then Lorelai had an idea.

"Why don't Rory and Lane babysit her? They can stay here, a phone call away. I'm sure Miss Patty wouldn't mind checking up on them either," she offered. Luke nodded.

"Yeah, that should work," he thought aloud. The girls liked the plan, and Caesar would make the three of them dinner in a little bit.

* * *

"Rory and Lane are going to watch you for a few hours. I'm going to leave with Lorelai, but we'll be back latter. I have my phone, so call me if you need me. Okay?" Luke told his daughter.

"Okay Daddy. Where are you and Lo-Lai going?" April asked, mispronouncing Lorelai's name, which made Luke smile.

"We're just getting dinner somewhere. You should be asleep when I get back. Be nice to Jess, if he shows up at all," Luke mumbled. Last year, he bought the rest of the building to expand his living space. He turned his dad's old office into a nice three bedroom apartment.

"Okay Daddy. Love you," she said, leaning across the table to give him a kiss.

"Love you too, pal," he said. He didn't like giving her girly nicknames, he didn't like saying them, plus he read a book about empowering girls, and learned that it could mess with their self esteem. He usually called April "pal" or "buddy" or "kiddo." Luke got his jacket from the back, and he walked back out to the girls.

"Ready?" Lorelai asked with a smile. She seemed sad when he said they couldn't go out, and then relieved when they got the teens to babysit April. Luke didn't know if that meant she was having different feelings for him, or she was just happy to be hang out with a friend.

"Ready," he said, returning her smile. They said goodbye to their kids, then got in to Lorelai's car.

"Where are you taking me?" Luke asked.

"There's this nice place on the other side of Hartford, the Ellsworth Inn."

"You're taking me to an inn?" He asked. He wasn't sure if it was a date, but it was looking more like it.

"Yes, technically. We're only there for the food, so don't get any ideas," she joked. _Okay, not a date_. "It was the first restaurant I remember eating at."

"My first restaurant was Al's Pancake World, when he actually served pancakes regularly," Luke shared.

"So you never really left Stars Hollow?"

"I went to community college right out of high school, but when my dad passed away in '89, I came back to take care of the hardware store. That's when Anna suggested I turn it into the diner," he said.

"So, it was her idea?"

"Sort of. I mean, I didn't want to sell the place, but I didn't want to sell tools for the rest of my life, you know? And I knew how to cook, so with a little push from Anna, I created Luke's."

"If you don't mind me asking, what happened with you two? If you don't mind," Lorelai prodded a little. Luke really didn't want to talk about his ex-wife on their first sort-of-date. But he'd rather get it out of the way now than during dinner.

"We were friends in high school and carpooled to the community college, that's when we started dating, lord knows why, she could have had any guy she wanted. After a few years, I proposed because that's what you did when you dated the same person for that long, it seemed. We got married then she got pregnant with April, and I thought that would be good for us. She and I got along okay, but when April was about two, we decided to get a divorce. We were better parents than spouses. We knew we weren't in love anymore, I guess," he said. "I've only told one other person that before, and Liz practically beat it out of me."

"Sorry, I'm just curious. We've known each other for a few months, but we don't _know_ each other, does that make sense?"

"Yeah, it does. I'd ask about Chris, but you definitely don't have to talk about him," he said, making an awkward conversation more awkward. He saw a small smile cross her face as she focused on driving.

"I guess it's only fair. Well, he and I dated when we were fifteen until we were sixteen, but we were friends our entire lives, since our parents were friends. Then I got pregnant with Rory. My parents decided that we should get married. That it was the best thing to do for the baby. So we did. We got married before my belly got too big, and we told everyone that Rory came early. He and I were married for sixteen years, unhappily for the most part. We stayed together for Rory. But, well, you know the rest," she tried to laugh it off.

"I'm sorry, this isn't the best topic, is it?"

"No, don't be sorry, I brought up Anna," she said. They sat in silence for a while. Then Luke came up with a topic they would both like.

"What was Rory like growing up?" Lorelai's face lit up and for the rest of the car ride, she gushed about Rory; her first words, when she walked, her first book— _If You Give a Mouse a Cookie._ She rambled until they pulled up to the restaurant, or at least, where it was.

"It's gone!" She said as they looked at the empty plot. "I guess I hadn't been here in a while. I can't believe it's gone, vanished, bulldozed to the ground."

"We can drive around, look for somewhere new?" Luke offered. That's what they did. They drove further away from Hartford in search of a nice place to eat. They decided on a small restaurant outside of the city called the Silver Spoon. It was a chic looking place with—indeed—silver spoons as well as forks and knives. They looked at the menu after they were seated.

"Can I get you anything besides water? We have an excellent beer and wine list on the back," the waitress, Abby, said. Luke ordered a beer and Lorelai ordered red wine that cost almost as much as an entrée.

"What are you thinking about getting?" Lorelai asked.

"Their burgers look good," he said.

"Luke, you're surrounded by burgers all day, every day. Don't you want to change it up? Seriously, money isn't an issue here. It's actually less expensive than Ellsworth," she said.

"It won't put you out, will it?"

"Talking about money isn't proper dinner etiquette, Mr. Danes," she scolded with a smile.

"Aw, I'm sorry. I just feel bad. I mean usually it's the guy who pays the first time," he rambled a little.

"The first time?"

"You know what I mean," he said, even though he didn't know when he meant.

"Luke, this is your gift. Enjoy it," she said, she lifted her glass toward him. "To our first night out in a while."

"To our first night out in a while," he repeated, lifting his beer and clinked her glass.

* * *

They ordered, she got the filet Mignon and he got the salmon. While they started on the salad, well, he ate. She picked at it.

"So how did you get into the hotel business?" Luke asked. Lorelai smiled at him.

"Not a lot of people ask me that, well accept those in the business," she added. "It actually started because of the Ellsworth Inn. I loved going there. It felt almost more like home than my house did. The owner, Elias Ellsworth, gave me my first job after Rory was born. Even though he would have hired me as a hostess, I insisted I wanted to start from the bottom, learn every job, everything about the hotel. I started as a maid, then a waitress, then hostess, scheduling, and finally managing it. Then the Durham Group came to the hotel and, with Elias' blessing, I started working for them. I've been with them for almost 10 years."

"That's impressive," Luke said.

"Yeah, not everyone thinks so," she mumbled. Luke gave her a look. "My parents weren't thrilled that I wanted to work. They thought that our family could live off of Christopher's income, like my mother did. I didn't want that. I controlled so little in my life, I wanted something that was just… mine."

"I think that's… well unexpected, honestly."

"Unexpected? Why?"

"Well, when we first met… I thought you were…"

"I was…?" She egged on with a smirk, daring him to continue.

"I thought you were this yuppie elitist who spent her days looking at shoes," he admitted. She was amused.

"You thought I was my mother?"

"Um, yeah?" He squirmed. "I guess." _This guy._

"Was that why you wouldn't give me coffee right away?"

"Well… That, along with the fact that you were loud and rude."

"Rude? I am not rude, I just know what I want and when I want it."

"By taking me away from other customers who were there before you?"

"Um… yes," she smiled. He shook his head.

"Amazing woman," he mumbled. She didn't acknowledge it, but she could feel herself blushing. They talked all through dinner. Lorelai couldn't remember another time where they really talked, just the two of them—not counting the night Chris cheated. They shared a piece of classic apple pie and a scoop of ice cream. Lorelai never remembered being this happy with someone, at least not in the last decade.

The drive back was quiet. It wasn't awkward, it was nice. Music played softly in the background as Lorelai drove. She pulled up to the diner and parked. The two sat there for a beat.

"I had a really nice time," she said. Luke nodded.

"I did too. It was more fun that I had in a while. Thank you for dinner," he said for about the fourth time that night.

"You're welcome," she said again. They sat there.

"We could do it again sometime, if you want," Luke said. Lorelai smiled.

"Sounds good to me." They looked at each other for a while, almost like they were waiting for the other to make a move. Luke was about to say something when Lorelai saw something in the diner.

"What?" She said. It was Rory and Jess. They were sitting at the counter. Just talking, and laughing, looking over a book. "Luke, look at that." Luke turned around and saw his nephew.

"That kid hasn't smiled once since we got here," he mused.

"I guess us Gilmores have that effect on you guys," Lorelai said quietly. Luke didn't respond, so Lorelai assumed he didn't hear her.

* * *

But he did. It took some will power, but he didn't react. He didn't know if she was joking or if she was flirting. He never knew if she was joking or flirty. There was always a blurred line there.

The two got out of the car and entered the diner, making the teens turn around like they were caught.

"Hey," Rory greeted. "Jess and I were just talking about this book." She held up _Catcher in the Rye_.

"I hated that book," Luke and Lorelai said together. They looked at each other and shared a smile.

"Freaky," Jess said before taking the book back. "See you later," he told Rory, then walked upstairs. Luke gestured for Lorelai to stay there, then followed him up, mostly to check on April.

"How was the dinner?" Rory asked, trying to avoid the subject.

"It was nice. Ellsworth closed!" Lorelai said.

"What? When? Where did you go?"

"We can talk about it when we get home," Lorelai said, planning to gush every detail to her daughter. "Why don't you go ahead, I'll be right behind you." As Rory walked out, Lane came downstairs with Luke behind her.

"Hi Lorelai, bye Lorelai," she said. Luke had taken $20 out of his wallet and handed it to Lorelai.

"Luke, not going to happen."

"It's for Rory, for babysitting," he wagged the bill. Lorelai looked at him, then snatched the money and put it in her purse.

"Well, I had a great time," she said.

"Me too," he said. There was a tension between them. She pondered going in for a hug. _But would that give him the wrong idea? What idea am I trying to give anyway?_

"See you tomorrow," she said, deciding against the hug.

"See you tomorrow," he said, also not moving. They stood there, not moving, for a while. She needed to get out of there, she needed to figure things out.

"Bye," she said, moving toward him and quickly kissing him on the cheek, then she walked out.

"Bye, Lorelai," she heard him say as the door closed.

When she got back to the apartment, Rory had a million questions. The girls stayed up late talking about their respective diner guys.

"Do you think you'll actually go out with him? Like for real?"

"I don't know, would you be okay with that?"

"Yeah, you seem really happy right now," she said. She paused before what she said next. "Happier than with Dad."

"I am happy. It was a really nice night. I think I'm going to ask him out for next week, is that okay?"

"Yes, mom, I give you my blessing," Rory said, crossing herself like a priest. After Rory left her mom's bedroom, Lorelai peaked out her window at Luke's. The diner's lights were off, but she could tell there was one light upstairs still on. She felt her face, where her cheek brushed his. He had shaved that day, but stubble had started to grow back, and it lightly scratched her skin when she kissed it.

She wondered if Luke was still up, thinking about the same thing. She couldn't wait for the next day. She couldn't wait to get coffee and bug him. Tomorrow was going to be a good day. _Maybe tomorrow I'll ask him out._

But she didn't ask him out. And neither did he.

* * *

 **Well what's going to happen? Why don't they go out? How long until they realize they're perfect for each other?  
**

 **Both of my Spanish classes' exams are done, as is Biology. My English 280 midterm is sent in. That just leaves my English 342 exam this afternoon, wish me luck!**

 **I'm getting a tattoo tomorrow! It's my first tattoo and I'm really excited. It's from Edgar Allan Poe's poem _Annabel Lee_. "We loved with a love that was much more than love." I'm nervous but I know I'll love it. Anyone else have literary tattoos, or tattoos in general? Got any tips for me?**

 **Thanks for reading and** **And if you have any** **suggestions, requests, ideas, etc., let me know by dropping a nice little review. Have a great weekend everyone!  
**


	12. Howdy Stranger

**So I got my tattoo! I definitely didn't hurt as much as I thought it would. It turned out really well and I'm in love with it. After it heals a bit, I'll make it my profile pic, so remember to check it out.  
**

 **This chapter is a little shorter, a little quick, but I still enjoyed writing it.**

* * *

 **Howdy stranger**

* * *

A week passed since the date-not-date and things with April's grandma was only getting worse. There was a complication with the surgery and her grandma would be in a wheelchair for at least four months. Anna needed to stay there a little while longer, so Luke was on full-time Dad Duty for a while. Because of that, he had to turn down Lorelai's invitation to movie night that Friday.

"I'm sorry, but April has a thing at school that night, a carnival or something. I gotta take her, rain check?" He offered.

"Rain check. And more coffee," she said, obviously not too upset about the rejection. _Maybe she was just being nice._ She asked again a week after that, but he had to chaperone a trip. After that, she asked him if he was going to Miss Patty and Babette's karaoke night. He said he couldn't because of something with April. He didn't realize he was using April as an excuse until Lorelai stopped asking.

Two months after their date-not-date, Lorelai didn't come in one Monday morning. Luke didn't think much of it until she didn't come in at lunch, or dinner that night. He rarely went a day without seeing her once since Christopher. The only time she didn't strep throat, and even then Luke went over and made mashed potatoes.

The next day, Lorelai arrived as usual, demanding coffee.

"Big day yesterday?" Luke asked, hoping to get an answer.

"Not really, went to work, had parent-teacher conferences, that's about it."

"How's Rory doing?"

"Nothing less than perfection, as usual," Lorelai smiled.

"What's her best subject?"

"Well, besides all of them, English with Mr. Medina. He's a great teacher, always knows how to keep the kids interested in the books, which in my opinion are too boring to use as coasters on a coffee table," she rambled. They had their typical banter before she left. A week went by and she came in less and less, sometimes not at all in a day. It wasn't until two weeks _after_ that he found out why.

* * *

Lorelai felt bad. She might have had feeling for Luke, but rejection here week after week, Lorelai was thinking about moving on. Maybe he was just trying to be nice, to let her down gently, but it still hurt. So, after her parent-teacher conference with Mr. Medina, where he asked her out, Lorelai got to thinking. Maybe she needs to date around before getting into anything serious. She wanted to be serious with Luke, but he didn't seem to be ready for that yet, or ever.

So, after almost three months since the date-not-date, Lorelai went into the diner to give him one last chance.

"What are you doing this weekend?" She asked. Luke was automatically filling her coffee as soon as he sat down.

"Why?"

"Because my weekend plans depend on your weekend plans," she said. Luke looked at the color coordinated calendar next to the kitchen.

"Caesar isn't working on Friday so I'm here all night, April has swim practice Saturday morning, then she has a play date with some kid named Jamie, then she has a church thing on Sunday."

"Church thing?"

"Her mom's catholic, she put April in Sunday school. It's a spring concert or something, I don't know. But I'm supposed to bring snacks. So I'm bringing snacks."

"Luke?"

"Yeah?" He said as he walked away to the kitchen.

"Luke," she said again, wanting his full attention.

"Yeah?" He repeated, then walked back to her with more coffee.

"Are you going to the Spring Fling? I hear it's full of food and games," Lorelai said, trying to stay optimistic. She really wanted to spend more time with him, but he wasn't giving her anything to work with.

"I have to be with April all weekend, sorry," he said. He almost looked truthfully sorry, but Lorelai wasn't buying it anymore.

"Alright, thanks, I just needed to know how to plan, she said. "Can I get coffee to-go?"

"Yeah, um, what are you planning?" He asked, pouring coffee.

"Nothing yet, I just have some ideas," she said, trying not to show her disappointment. "See you tomorrow," she said before leaving. As soon as she was outside, she called Max.

* * *

Luke felt bad for, once again, telling her he couldn't go out. But she never asked him directly on a date, so he was getting mixed signals. He saw Lorelai maybe four times the rest of the week. On Saturday morning, she and Rory were sitting at a table by the windows, far away from their usual stools at the counter.

"Hey," Luke said as he walked to take their order.

"Hey," Lorelai said, giving her daughter a look.

"Why are you over here?" He asked.

"We wanted to watch everyone set up," Lorelai said, looking outside, away from him.

"What'll you have?"

"Pancakes with a side of bacon and lots of coffee," Lorelai rattled off, still looking outside. When he came back to their table, they were whispering.

"Fried sugar with a side of cholesterol and liquid death," he said. Usually she enjoyed his quips, not that day.

"So what happened to April's swim practice?" Lorelai asked as she took a sip of her coffee.

"Oh, that's in an hour, they moved it to later," Luke said, feeling guilty for not telling her about the change. He really did want to spend time with her, but his daughter came first. He's never had to balance between April and a woman that wasn't Anna.

"Gotcha," she said, giving Rory the same look.

"What, what's that?" He asked, pointing at their faces.

"Nothing Luke, really it's nothing. Thanks for the food," Lorelai said. Luke didn't know what was wrong. He wanted to help her, but she probably wouldn't have let him. The girls finished their food then left, leaving an unusually generous tip.

Luke took April to swim practice, then to Jamie's house, where he found out that Jamie was a boy. They got back earlier than expected, so Luke took April to the Spring Fling. He half hoped that he would see Lorelai there, but would feel bad because he said he wasn't going. _Maybe she'll like the surprise._

Luke and April walked around for a little bit. He reluctantly got her cotton candy and a corndog. As April sat at a picnic table to eat her junk, Luke remained standing and looked around. There he saw Kirk who was being an idiot, then Taylor who was trying to get a megaphone to work, Miss Patty and Babette who were passing out punch, then Lorelai and Rory who were walking around... with a man.

They were with a man. It wasn't Christopher, and Luke was grateful for that. But the man walked a little too close to Lorelai than Luke liked. Sure, he and Lorelai hadn't really gone out, but she knew that he liked her, she had to have known that. Luke sat down, trying to avoid them. He wanted to confront her, but he didn't know what to say. Good thing Luke didn't have to start the conversation.

"Luke," he heard Rory behind him. Luke turned his head and faced the Gilmores and their plus one.

"Oh, hey Rory, Lorelai," he gave a small smile and nod. Rory sat right down by April to show her something. Luke stood up to shake the man's hand. Lorelai gave a small smile, but looked like she was caught.

"I'm Luke," he said, as if that was enough information.

"Max Medina," the guy said as he shook Luke's hand. When they let go, Luke looked between Lorelai and Max.

"Oh, you're Rory's teacher," he said, trying to control himself. _I don't like where this is going._

"Yup, I've known Rory since she was in 6th grade. She has always loved reading, which helps because I have a lot of reading in my classes," Max smiled. He smiled a lot, and that bugged him. The only person who smiled that much was Lorelai, and she was the only one he could tolerate.

"Yeah, she's a reader," was all Luke could come up with. "Sorry, but aren't there rules about teachers dating parents or something?"

"There's an unwritten rule, yes, but there's nothing on paper," Max explained.

"Ah, yeah, well… good. Good for you two. April and I have had a long day, so we should probably get back home," Luke said, trying to leave before he punched the guy.

"Maybe I'll see you around," Max said. Luke gathered April and their things before leaving. He realized that Lorelai didn't say a single thing that entire time. _Was that why she asked about my plans? Did she not want me to see her with someone else?_ _  
_

Luke kept the diner closed, but sat downstairs as April slept upstairs. He was on his third beer as he watched the communal insanity outside. He sat up when he saw Lorelai and Max walking around. They stopped in the same spot Lorelai and Chris stopped at a few months earlier. Luke watched as Max held Lorelai's hand. He watched as Max leaned in to kiss Lorelai, and she didn't move away. Luke watched their hands wrap around each other, kissing for seconds without parting. Luke was furious. He threw the bottle on the ground. It shattered, breaking another bottle with it. He froze, making sure it didn't wake April.

This was not what he wanted. Luke wanted to be with Lorelai. He could see something there. But, if Lorelai was happy with the teacher, Luke wouldn't get in their way. He didn't want to be on the outside looking in at her any longer. Luke had to move on.

* * *

Lorelai didn't mean to avoid Luke and the diner, it just happened that way. The busy season for the inn was starting, as well as seeing Max every weekend. She missed Luke, but she knew things wouldn't be the same as it was before. It wasn't even a real date, but he obviously decided that he didn't want a real date, that's for sure. Even when they first met, Lorelai felt that she could tell Luke anything. He would mostly listen and give advice when asked. But now, she didn't know how to talk to him. This guy had only been in her life for five months, but she couldn't imagine her life without him in it, in one way or another.

She ended it with Max after two months. She knew she didn't want anything permanent with him, she wasn't in love with him. Lorelai knew that she wanted to be with Luke, who almost never seemed to leave her mind. She waited until after Rory's final exam with him to end it. He took it well, he said that he understood when she said she didn't want to lead him on. When Lorelai got home that night, she cried. It wasn't a completely sad cry, it was almost a happy cry because she realized that she didn't want to be with him. She could control that, she had control in a time where she was constantly losing it.

That's when Mike called her. He said that Aaron, the man seated in the position above her, wasn't able to go on the Europe assignment. Mike offered Lorelai the job.

"Basically, you'll go to hotels all around Europe, mainly in England, France, and Italy. You can bring Rory, if you wanted. You can sight see and visit other countries as well, what do you say?" Mike asked. Lorelai thought about Luke, and decided that some time away, some time to think, would do her some good.

"I'll have to talk to Rory about it, but I think that would be great, thank you," she said. They talked money for a little bit before hanging up. When Rory got back from her last day of school, Lorelai asked her what her summer plans were.

"I think I might get a job somewhere, maybe at the grocery store, what about Luke's? Do you think he'll hire me?"

"I don't see why not, but I have a better idea. What would you say if I told you that we can go to Europe this summer, and it'll basically be free?"

"I'd ask which bank you robbed," Rory joked.

"Mike offered me Aaron's assignment. He called an hour ago asking if I wanted to take the job."

"Mom, that sounds awesome! Would we be gone the whole summer?"

"Basically, unless you want to come back and live with Richard and Emily for part of the break."

"No thank you, I'll take the free vacation," Rory said. "When do we leave?"

"Three days, so get packing!" Lorelai said. She hugged her daughter then called Mike back, accepting the job.

* * *

Luke was futzing with that damn toaster again when Lorelai and Rory came into the diner two days later. He had gotten used to their absence, and when they did show up, he tried to make the most of it. He had heard rumors about Lorelai leaving Max, but nothing was certain. April was there and asked Rory right away to look at what she was coloring. Lorelai took her usual spot at the counter.

"Howdy stranger," she greeted. Luke looked at her. _She's calling me the stranger?  
_

"Hey, what can I get you?" He asked as if nothing had changed.

"Two burgers, coffee, and chili fries please," Lorelai said, holding out a mug.

"Wow, a please, that's a change," he said, a little ruder than he meant it. "You must be learning from that teacher boyfriend of yours." He took a peak to see her reaction, which was a small smile.

"Yeah maybe I just decided to be nice today," she said, obviously avoiding talking about her boyfriend.

"For once," Luke grumbled before walking to the kitchen. He cooked their food and brought it out to see Lorelai talking on the phone outside.

"Did she leave all by herself?" Luke asked as he gave Rory her plate.

"Yeah, April didn't even have to remind her," she said. April nodded her head proudly. She really liked telling people to go outside to talk on the phone. Lorelai came back in, smiling.

"That was Mike, confirming the departure time tomorrow," she said.

"Departure time? Taking a trip?" Luke asked, trying not to seem too interested.

"Um, yeah, my boss gave me a last minute assignment. Rory and I are going to be in Europe all summer," Lorelai told him. His mouth parted for a second as a million questions flooded his mind.

"Just the two of you?" He asked, wondering if the boyfriend was tagging along. She nodded. "Well, good luck. Did you tell the post office to hold your mail? Did you tell the landlord and the Inn where you'll be?"

"Yes, Mom, I did," Lorelai rolled her eyes.

"Just making sure," Luke said. He ripped off their bill and set it on the table. The girls ate and hugged April goodbye.

"So, see you in August?" He said to Lorelai.

"Probably, unless we get mugged in France and can't get back into the country," she said, making Luke roll his eyes.

"Have fun, be safe," he said. They looked at each other, both trying to decide whether or not to hug or do something. He gave her a coffee to-go. "On the house."

"Thanks, I'll see you soon," she said. Then turned to her daughter. "Come on kiddo, we gotta make the rounds."

"Bye Luke," Rory waved.

"Bye Rory," he said. Then they walked out.

"When are they coming back?" April asked.

"Soon, I hope," he said. He gave her another bowl of strawberries and patted her head. "That's a good picture, bud."

"Thanks, Daddy," she said. "This is you, me, Rory, and Lo-Lai." She said. They all were holding hands, Luke and Lorelai in the middle and their respective kids holding their hands. Luke sighed, wishing reality was closer to that picture.

"Looks good," he said, looking up, watching Lorelai and Rory hug everyone in town. Everyone but him.

* * *

 **A little angsty in that last bit, but that's okay. Next chapter will be short and sweet, I'll update in a day or so.** **I** **f you have any** **suggestions, requests, ideas, etc., let me know by leaving a review!  
**


	13. You're Her Best Friend, Aren't You?

**Alright, friends, as promised, an update the next day. Thank you to everyone who reviewed! A bunch of people didn't like Lorelai in that chapter, and I agree with you. She was a bitch to Luke, but Luke should have stopped using April as an excuse. I tried to make it similar to the show, where he separates his daughter and Lorelai, which lead to the "Partings" episode. So a big _Thank You_ to everyone who reviewed, it seriously made my day.  
**

 **Originally, this chapter included what is now the beginning of the next chapter. But, I didn't like how it flowed. So, I cut it out and added more into this one. This chapter is only Luke centered, mostly because I haven't traveled around Europe yet (I'm studying abroad in Liverpool, England next September-December), and I really wanted to capture Luke's side here.**

 **R &R!**

* * *

 **You're her best friend, aren't you?**

* * *

Two weeks after Lorelai and Rory left, Anna's mother passed away. There was a complication in her second surgery and her body couldn't take it. Thankfully, Anna and April got to see her once more before that happened. After the funeral, Anna moved back to Stars Hollow for the summer so she could take care of her parents' old house and her mothers affairs. A week after the mother and daughter moved into the old house, it got sold, leaving them homeless. So of course, Luke stepped up and offered his apartment to them. It would be better for her and April to have Luke close by during the grieving process. When April started school again, they would move back to Woodbridge. Until then, the three of them lived in the apartment.

A week or so after moving in, Anna approached Luke after she finished closing the diner. He was in the storeroom taking inventory.

"Hey Luke?"

"Yeah?" He said as he counted flour sacks.

"Do you..." she paused, catching Luke's attention. "Can we get dinner tomorrow? I need to talk to you about something." Luke's mind raced, curious to what she needed to talk to him about.

"Yeah, um, sure, we can do that. Why? Is everything okay? Is it about April?"

"Everything is fine, I just need to talk to you about something," she said. Luke could only nod.

"Yeah, okay, Caesar can close and April is at Lucy's house tomorrow night anyway," he said. Anna nodded and smiled a little before saying goodnight and walked upstairs and into Jess' room. Jess left to see his father for the summer. He and his father weren't that close, but Jimmy was always there for him in one way or another. Since Jess was gone, Anna slept in his room.

* * *

Luke spent the next day worrying. He had convinced himself that Anna wanted full custody of April. Or that Anna was dying. Or maybe she just needed an ear to listen. He definitely didn't expect what she was going to say. Not at all.

"So," Luke said after the waiter set down their food. He drove them to a family restaurant a few miles out of town. "What did you want to talk about?"

"At April's day camp, the counselors were talking about family during story time. The kids were supposed to write about their family, and April was the only one who wrote about divorced parents. The other kids kept asking her questions."

"So then she asked you questions," Luke finished. Anna nodded.

"Yeah, and for the past few days, all I've been thinking about is... us. Luke, do you ever see us getting back together?" Luke was floored. Anna was the furthest thing from his mind. Most days, he thought about Lorelai, praying she was okay abroad, and that she would come back to him, in more ways than one.

"I... haven't thought about it. Do you want to?"

"No! I mean, I don't, I mean, I don't know. I've been thinking about April. I want to give her a healthy life, and that starts by her seeing a healthy, strong relationship between her parents."

"She already sees that. She sees that her parents get along, that we share responsibilities and that we love her very much. I can't say that much about any other divorced couple I know, can you?"

"No, I can't. We're the lucky ones, I guess. But..."

"But?" he said, wanted her to get to the point.

"But I want to try. Can we try? Can we try being together? Can we see if things have changed in the last five years?" She asked. Luke took a while to respond. He took a couple bites of his dinner, thinking about what he wanted. Luke wanted a family. He wanted to share his life with someone. He wanted a person who he trusted with everything. He wanted someone to laugh with, to grow old with. He even wanted more kids. But since he met Lorelai, deep down, he knew wanted all of that with her.

But he ruined it. He lost her, he missed his chance, he threw away his shot with her. And if he couldn't have her, there wouldn't be anyone else for him. Luke looked at Anna. Her eyes were wide, almost scared of his answer. He was scared too.

"Okay," he said.

"Okay?"

"Okay, we can try. But we can't tell anyone, not even April. Not until we're certain."

"We're moving back at the end of summer," Anna said.

"Maybe... maybe that'll be our deadline. If it doesn't work out by then, we agree to stop trying?" He offered.

"But what if it works? What if we feel differently by the end of summer?"

"I think you should still move out, but we can tell April then, is that okay?" Luke asked. Anna smiled.

"That'll work. Thank you for giving us another try," she said.

"Of course. Anything for my family," Luke said. They ate the rest of their dinner and talked about April for most of it. Luke was hesitant, but at that moment, he just needed someone, anyone, to get his mind of of Lorelai.

For the entire summer, Luke and Anna were secretly together. They acted like a real family: Mom, dad, and daughter. They shared meals and responsibilities, they went to functions together, Anna would kiss him goodbye on his cheek every day, and if April spent the night at a friend's house, Luke and Anna would have sex. The first time they did it that summer was the first time in a year that Luke had been with someone else. It was even longer for Anna. Luke was having fun, but Lorelai was always in the back of his mind.

* * *

One night in the middle of July, Luke was closing up the diner when he heard the bell above the door jingle. The only person who would come in after hours was Lorelai, and Luke's heart raced. He thought she had come back early. Luke was stacking chairs when he said,

"We're closed," as he usually would. When he looked up, he didn't see Lorelai, and his heart dropped. Then it fueled with wrath, because he saw Christopher. "Get out of here," Luke told him. He was ready to fight, he had a lot of anger toward that guy.

"Where's Lorelai," Christopher asked, then he took a swig out of a bottle. _Classy._

"What do you mean?"

"Where is my wife? I know she dated Medina, I know she was fucking him last year, sorry for accusing you for that, by the way. I know everything. Where is she?" _Dated? Past tense?  
_

"How should I know?" Luke asked, trying to avoid getting physical.

"Because, you're _Luke_. You're her best friend, aren't you?" Christopher asked. Luke honestly didn't know the answer to that.

"I haven't seen her, she and Rory went on a trip," Luke said.

"Bullshit. They ran away with that teacher, didn't they? They aren't at the apartment. Their neighbors haven't seen them and they aren't telling me where they are. I need my family back," Christopher said, more angry than sad.

"I'm sure your lawyer told you that they went on a trip," Luke said.

"Didn't she tell you? Lorelai stopped visitation three months ago. I can't see my daughter. But I need to see her. Both hers. Tell me where they are," Christopher ordered.

"I don't know where they are. I'm going to call you a taxi, you gotta go home," Luke said, walking over to the phone. Christopher finished the bottle then threw it at Luke, missing his head by a few inches. Luke looked at him. Christopher was ready to fight too.

"Get out of here before I call the police," Luke said. That's when Anna came downstairs.

"Luke, what's going on?" Anna asked when she saw Christopher. "Who are you?"

"I'm Lorelai's husband, where is she?" Christopher said.

"Go upstairs, I'll be up in a little bit," Luke instructed. Anna went up right away, leaving the men alone.

"That your girl?" Christopher asked, a sudden change of tone. Luke just wanted him out of there.

"Yeah, that's my girl. Please leave, I'll call a taxi. I promise you I don't know where Lorelai is. I have other things to worry about," Luke said, gesturing the stairs. Christopher stood there for a moment.

"Okay," was all Christopher said. He sat near the door until the taxi came. Luke kept his distance. For the only time that summer, he was glad that Lorelai wasn't in Stars Hollow. Luke realized that he didn't want Lorelai to come back. He wanted to finish this thing with Anna before he saw Lorelai again.

After Christopher was out of sight, Luke finished cleaning. He went upstairs where Anna was waiting in the kitchen.

"What the hell was that about?" She asked in a whisper, trying not wake April.

"That was Lorelai's ex. They got divorced a few months ago. I guess he didn't know about their trip, or maybe he forgot, I don't know. Either way, he came here looking for them."

"He thought you and Lorelai were together?"

"No, but he thought I'd know where she is, which I don't," he clarified. "I don't think he'll be back, but if he does, I'll take care of it."

"Okay. Thanks for not hitting him, you used to have a problem with that," Anna said, recalling the numerous fights Luke had gotten in during his school days. They didn't call him Butch for nothing.

"Fatherhood has changed me," he said shortly. Anna gave him a quick kiss goodnight before retreating to Jess' room. They never shared a bed with April there, wanting to keep their secret intact.

By the end of the summer, Luke didn't feel anything different. Well, he like how close his family had gotten. He liked seeing Anna look happy. He even liked being in a relationship. And of course he liked the sex as well. But there was something missing. He had everything he could wish for, but he wasn't satisfied. He wanted more. He wanted Lorelai.

* * *

 **Again, another angsty chapter. I always imagined Luke thinking a lot about Lorelai before they got together in the show. How do you feel about his and Anna's relationship? I hate it, personally, but that's just me. If only I had the power to break them up... oh wait. The next chapter was also one of my favorites to write. It shifts again, and we're on the final climb here people.**

 **Is/will/has anyone else studying abroad? Did you have fun or was it completely over hyped?**

 **I** **f you have any** **suggestions, requests, ideas, etc., let me know by leaving a review! Only a few chapters left.  
**


	14. Get Out Your Rain Gear

**Damn, a lot of people did not like that last chapter. Neither did I, to be honest. I want Luke and Lorelai to be together as much as the next guy. But remember in season 4 when Luke married Nicole? That was because he wanted to fill something that was missing. The pattern repeats here, because that's who I see him as a character. I don't see it as a wrong direction or copying S6 &7, I see it as recurring themes, despite the different character/story structure. That's the point of writing this AU, it's to see that the characters are static and dynamic to different changes/issues in their lives. Thanks to the fans that picked up on that, you're the best.  
**

 **Don't worry, JavaJunky-ness takes off and Anna is history soon enough.**

 **R &R!**

* * *

 **Get out your rain gear**

* * *

Lorelai and Rory spent the summer tasting wine, checking out cute men/boys, and eating practically everything in sight. They went sunning on the beaches of France, rode the tube for hours in England, and tried every pasta dish and every espresso drink at one restaurant in Italy. When it was time to come home, Rory was bummed, but Lorelai was excited. She couldn't wait to see the town. She couldn't wait to see Luke.

The girls landed in Hartford early in the middle of August. They stopped at Chilton to get Rory's registration out of the way before driving back to Stars Hollow. They slowly drove through town, looking at the colorful summer fun that surrounded them.

"It looks cuter than I remember," Rory said, admiring the flowers and the butterflies.

"Well you haven't been here this time of year. I wonder what summer stuff they had."

"I bet there's a weekly festival, maybe a theme night at Al's."

"Probably," Lorelai said. They drove to the Inn so Lorelai could check some things out before heading home. When Lorelai drove past Luke's, she couldn't help but sneak a peek. It looked the same, but she saw it differently. Over the summer, she realized that she wanted to be with Luke. She wanted to keep asking him out, even if he would decline. Until he said that he absolutely, 100%, for sure didn't want to go out with her, she wouldn't stop trying. Lorelai wasn't going to give up, not this time.

They dropped their stuff off at their apartment before walking over to Luke's for a late breakfast. When they entered the diner, the Gilmores were welcomed back by Miss Patty and Babette, as well as other townspeople. Luke was nowhere in sight.

"Where's Luke?" Lorelai asked the women after a moment.

"Oh, he's upstairs, dear. With Anna," she added, wiggling her eyebrows at Babette, who stifled a giggle. "I guess they wanted a little privacy."

"What's the story there?" Lorelai asked with a smile, trying to remain cool. But on the inside, she was about to burst.

"They've been spending a lot of time together. She moved in at the beginning of summer," Babette tried to whisper in her husky voice.

"Really, well, good for them," Lorelai said. "Not good for us, because we need coffee and food," she gave a small laugh, hiding the pang in her chest. Rory gave her a look, silently asking if she was okay. Lorelai didn't know.

* * *

Luke and Anna were talking about April's school registration upstairs. When they settled on the plan, he went back downstairs to get back to work. When he heard Lorelai's voice, he thought it was in his head. He froze. His heart was starting to beat faster. Luke stopped on the last stair, hiding behind the sheet that acted as a door. Luke had waited all summer to hear her voice.

"We went to the cutest little vineyard in Italy. It was part of this little inn, owned by an old couple, Sofia and Antonio. They made up four meals a day, it was wonderful," Lorelai said. It wasn't supposed to happen like that. Luke was supposed to be there to welcome them back, greeting them as soon as they came in. Lorelai was supposed to be telling him these stories. That whole summer, Luke would look up at the door whenever someone entered, hoping it was Lorelai.

The week prior, Luke finally told Anna that he didn't want to be with her. He admitted that he had feelings for Lorelai, and Anna understood. She was hurt, but she said she felt bad for guilting him into the relationship. Because they hadn't told anyone, there was no real damage done. Anna and April would still live there until the school year started.

Anna and April were walking down the stairs as well, so Luke emerged from his hiding spot. He walked behind the counter, followed by his little family, not looking at Lorelai.

"We'll be back after registration," Anna said. "We should be here for lunch."

"Sounds good," Luke said as he poured her a coffee to-go. "You sure you don't need me there? Last year we were both there."

"That's because it was the first year of elementary school. This year isn't as important for both of us to be there. I think we can manage, right April?"

"We can manage, Daddy," April said. He lifted her up and kissed her on the cheek.

"See you later, buddy," he said before putting her down "Smile good for your picture." She giggled as she wiped her face to get his cooties off.

"See you in a few hours," Anna said before kissing his cheek, because that wasn't going to change. He watched them leave before acknowledging the Gilmores.

"Hey, welcome back," he said with a smile and literal open arms. He was so happy to see them. Lorelai looked more beautiful than ever, and Rory got a haircut, it was a lot shorter now. Looking at Lorelai's face, the small smile and lack of eye contact, made him think that she didn't feel the same way. "Anything you want, on the house."

"Thanks," Lorelai said quietly. "Um, I'll have the French toast special, please." Rory doubled the order, and Luke got cooking. _She didn't seem happy to see me_. through town gossip, Luke learned that Lorelai had broken up with Max before she left for Europe. He thought that would give him an opportunity, but he wasn't sure anymore.

Luke asked about the trip and Rory answered most of his questions. When Lane came in to start her shift, she and Rory sat in the corner to look at the pictures Rory took. That left Luke and Lorelai alone at the counter.

"Luke?" Lorelai started. He looked up at her from the counter he was scrubbing. When he met her eyes, he felt all those old feelings return.

"What's up?" He said, unsure of where this conversation was going.

"I just wanted to say… It's good to be back," she said. He nodded in agreement.

"Good, I'm glad you're back. Safe, I mean," he said, and that was it. The girls finished their food and got up to leave.

"See you around?" He asked, wondering if she would come in as rarely as she did that spring. Lorelai gave him a smile.

"Get out your rain gear," she said. Luke looked into her eyes for the first time all summer, and in them he saw the sparkle he missed so much. He smiled.

"I'll invest in an umbrella," Luke said, remembering his comment to her last year. _She'll be around._

* * *

After that, Lorelai and Rory were once again regulars at Luke's. Lorelai was able to put up with the daily affection between him and Anna for two weeks, but then something happened. Lorelai and Rory were waiting to order the Saturday before the school year began. Anna came downstairs, dragging two suitcases behind her. Luke followed, caring two boxes.

"What's going on?" Rory asked Babette, who was almost bursting to give the biggest scoop of her life, it seemed.

"I heard them talking. Apparently, she and April are moving back to Woodbridge. I think they broke up, cuz Luke isn't going with 'em," she answered. "So sad, they were so cute."

"Yeah, that's too bad," Lorelai said, not sad at all. Maybe she could have her chance with him. But she had to give him time after the break up. The Gilmore girls sat with Babette as Luke and Anna carried everything out. With the last box, Anna sat at the counter.

"So she has her first parent teacher meeting on the 26th, will you be there for that?"

"Of course, then she'll come home with me for the weekend?"

"Yup," Anna said, writing in a planner. "Alrighty, I'll call when we get back there. Say bye to Daddy," she told April.

"Bye daddy, love you," she said.

"Love you too," he said as he hugged his daughter. "See you soon." When he stood up, Anna gave him a hug, which surprised everyone at Lorelai's table.

"Bye," she said, and they kissed each other's cheek. The two Nardini ladies left, and Luke got back to work. He didn't seem upset, he didn't seem mad or sad. If anything, he was content.

"I guess they didn't break up," Lorelai said. "She just moved out?" Rory and Babette shrugged.

* * *

Two weeks later, Lorelai was looking around the diner as she waiting for Rory arrive from school.

"This place could use some sprucing," Lorelai said to Luke when he walked over.

"What?"

"It just needs some sprucing up, you know? Just a coat of paint or something."

"No," Luke said. Lorelai smiled.

"Come on, it'll be fun!"

"Yeah Luke," Taylor said, walking from the next table over. "Me and the rest of the town beautification committee have spent years trying to convince him to freshen up the place, maybe a couple of nice zinnia pots out front, some yellow awnings, a peppy little cardboard animal announcing the specials, but Luke is stubborn. He won't talk, he won't reason, he won't spruce. You might as well forget it, Lorelai. I'm forgetting it too."

"Finally, we can agree on something," Luke said.

"Faded pain is a bad reflection on the whole town," Taylor scolded, causing Luke to roll his eyes.

"I'm not talking about this anymore. Lorelai, are you going to order anything?"

"Yeah, I order you to tell me why you won't paint this place," Lorelai demanded, pounding her fist on the counter as Rory walked into the middle of the argument.

"Painting's a pain. I'd have to close the place for a day, which I can't afford, or paint it in the middle of the night, which I don't want to do because I hate painting. You have to buy the paint, then buy rollers and brushes, then tarps and tape. It's a lot of monkeying around just for a _spruce_ ," Luke ranted and paced. Lorelai smiled at the solution that popped into her head.

"OK, then I'll help you. I love to paint," she said with a big smile. Luke stopped pacing.

"You do?" He asked.

"Yes, I do."

"You love to paint?"

"I want to marry it," Lorelai said, knowing she was almost about to convince him.

"You have strange passions," Luke said, a trace of a smile twitched at the edge of his lips.

"She likes washing dishes too. She's multi-faceted abnormal," Rory added. "One day, at our old house, she repainted one of the guest bedrooms completely out of the blue. She got the trim perfectly, it looked really good." Luke thought for a moment, and Lorelai's smile grew the longer he did.

"Well, I guess, if I had help... Fine, I'll do it," he rolled his eyes.

"Really? Well well, Lorelai, I thank you. I can't wait to tell the rest of the committee. They aren't going to believe this," Luke said, leaving after dropping money on the counter.

"I hate that he's pleased," Luke said.

"Ah, you'll drop a gum wrapper on the street in front of his store later," Lorelai joked.

"Yeah, good idea. So, wanna meet here after closing?" He asked. Lorelai was relieved that their friendship was back.

"Yeah, I can pick up some swatch books we used last spring when we repainted the Inn. I'll be here at 8:15 with bells on," she said with a wink. He rolled his eyes and took their order. The girls are then parted, Rory to the library and Lorelai to the Inn, both excited to see thing better between Lorelai and Luke.

* * *

At 8:20, Luke had just finished sweeping when the bell above the door jingled. Luke turned to see Lorelai holding a dictionary-sized book and a six-pack of beer. And yes, she wore actual bells in her wrist. Luke walked toward the beautiful woman.

"You're late," Luke said, pointing to the clock behind the counter. In reality, he was glad he had a few more minutes to clean up before Lorelai got there. He closed and locked the door behind her.

"A queen is never late. Everyone else is simply early," Lorelai said. "You may address me as Your Majesty or Your Highness." Lorelai curtsied.

"More like royal pain in my ass," Luke said with a smirk, taking the beer from her, pulling out two and opening them. "I have some left over boysenberry pie, if you want some. Nice bells." Lorelai shook her wrist at the complement before taking the bells off.

"Later, now we're in painting mode," she said with a serious face. Luke rolled his eyes and Lorelai sat at the counter, book opened to a tabbed page.

For the next 30 minutes, Lorelai offered colors and Luke would reject them. Luke started pacing, getting impatient. He didn't want to paint the place because he wanted to preserve his dad's memory. But he knew Lorelai was right and wanted to make her happy.

"Okay, Luke, here's the last option and then I quit," Lorelai said. She held up a teal color to the wall and a grey color next to it. "The colors are actually quite similar to what you have here now, but they're just a little richer, a little warmer. What do you think?" Luke looked at the swatch. "What do you think?"

"Honestly? I have no idea. Do you like it?" He asked, resting on the edge of the table behind him. She nodded.

"I do," she said. Luke sighed.

"This place hasn't been painted since my dad was alive," he admitted, opening up to her for the first time in a while.

"Really?"

"Yeah, he loved this place. This store was his life. Mine too, I guess. I spent every minute I wasn't in school here. I spent a lot of minutes I was _supposed_ to be in school in here too."

"The paint lasted a long time. He got his money's worth."

"Yeah, he did."

"How come you opened a diner? Why didn't you keep it a hardware store?" Lorelai took a seat at the counter, digging into the pie.

"I don't know. I didn't love the hardware business the way my dad did, and, you know, I knew how to cook, so I just thought a diner would be more...fun. It was actually Anna's idea. We were just settling down and she figured a diner would be more financially stable than a hardware store not 15 miles away from the nearest Walmart," he said. He noticed Lorelai shift at the mention of Anna, and wanted to steer away from that topic. "It was hard, changing this place."

"Sometimes change is good," Lorelai said. Luke nodded.

"You know, I still think there's a spot on the wall somewhere where my dad took an order one day when he ran out of paper," Luke said, trying to change the atmosphere in the room.

"Really? Where?" Lorelai perked up, interest peaked.

"I don't know. Behind the counter maybe?" Luke said, knowing full well where it was. Lorelai walked behind the counter. "Next to the door. On the right side." Lorelai sat on the floor, Luke joining her.

"Here it is," Lorelai said. "Three hammers, Phillips-head screwdrivers,"

"And three boxes of nails in assorted sizes," Luke joined her to finish the list. "You're right, you know. It is time for a spruce."

"Yeah, it is. But let's not spruce this particular spot," Lorelai said, pointing to the list. Before Luke could respond, they heard a voices outside. Luke groaned and was about to stand up when Lorelai pulled him down.

"Just wait a minute, they'll go away, trust me," she said. Luke nodded and got comfortable on the floor. She was right, and after a minute the crowd left. They were sitting, legs touching, inches away from each other.

"Thank you," Luke said in a low voice. "For helping me paint. It's a lot better with someone."

"You're welcome," Lorelai said, almost at a whisper. They were in close proximity, and Luke wanted to make a move. He wanted to know what it was like to kiss her. He wanted to be with her. And Lorelai looked like she wanted to be with him as well, but she leaned away from him. "I should be getting home," she said. Luke nodded and helped her up. He was worrying that she wanted to leave, but didn't say anything.

"I'll order the paint, can you help this weekend?" He asked. Lorelai agreed and they made a plan for Friday night.

Friday came around and Lorelai brought Rory to help. Within a few hours, the diner was painted and Luke didn't hate it. He liked it especially because he got to spend time with Lorelai. He knew this was a turning point for them, and it felt good.

* * *

During that month, Luke felt herself getting attached to Lorelai, but he didn't know that she thought he was still with Anna, and he didn't know that he needed to make that clear. One night, about a week after they painted the diner, Anna had a last-minute date, so she came over to drop off April at Luke's. Luke was happy that Anna was moving on. If anything, it encouraged him to go for it with Lorelai.

"Thanks, I'm sorry about the short notice," Anna said, smoothing out her dress.

"No problem, one of us should be having fun," he said. Anna left, passing Lorelai on the way out.

"Hey," Lorelai said to Luke.

"Hey, just you?" he asked.

"Yeah, Rory is with the girls tonight," she said. "So, um, Anna looked nice."

"Yeah, she was just dropping off April," he pointed to his daughter, who was reading a _Magic Tree House_ book. "She has date tonight," he said, "a last minute thing." He read Lorelai's face as confused and surprised.

"Oh! So you two aren't…" She trailed off. It took Luke a second before shaking his head.

"What? No, we aren't. Who said we were?" He heard the gossip, but he didn't confirm or deny any of it. He asked to see what Lorelai had heard.

"Babette and Patty. They told me you were living together," she said carefully. "And because of that they assumed you two were back together."

"Well we were, living together. And, for a little bit we tried being, you know, together. It didn't work out," he said, drying a mug.

"Oh," she said. "I'm sorry to hear that."

"I'm not," Luke said non-chalantly. "It wasn't right. She wasn't who I wanted to be with." He looked up at her, gaging a reaction. He couldn't get himself to admit he wanted to be with her.

"Oh, my mistake, then," Lorelai said, looking down at the coffee cup that appeared in front of her. Luke thought he might have seen a smile, but he couldn't be sure.

"Well, their mistake," he said, pointing to Miss Patty and Babette, who were watching them from the mafia table, acting really interested in the menu.

"I guess so. Well, I'll have a burger and fries to-go please," she said. "I have to get back to the Inn."

"Why so late?" he asked, wanting her to stay back and talk.

"Well, I need to finish some paperwork. Since it's been about a year, I need to get my reviews and everything in order. If the overall opinion is that the inn has improved, I stay on. If not, someone else moves in."

"It has been a year, hasn't it," he said. They thought for a moment before Lorelai nearly jumped before comparing the newspaper on the counter to a sheet of paper at the very front of her accordion folder.

"Luke, it's exactly one year," she said, showing him the dates. "One year ago today, I filed this report about my meeting with Mia. That meeting was right before I came in here for the first time."

"How did you remember the exact day?" He asked. She shrugged.

"I always remember important dates," she said. He made her burger and she left. When the place quieted down, Luke took out the horoscope he kept in his pocket. On the backside was the date underneath a headline. _Exactly one year ago._ He thought it was nice that she remembered. He thought about her. He wondered if she felt the same way. He wanted to know what it was like to kiss her, to hold her. He thought about what would have happened the other night if he had kissed her behind the counter. Either way, Luke was glad that he and Lorelai were okay again. He'd rather be friends then nothing at all.

* * *

 **The ball is officially rolling. I loved the scene from "That Damn Donna Reed" and I'm glad I got to incorporate it here.  
**

 **Only about 2-3 chapters left, they're al written and I'll spend the weekend tweeking them. I might update again on Friday, we'll see what my Easter weekend plans go.**


	15. A Real Date?

**Hi all! Hope you had/are having a lovely Easter, Passover, spring break, whatever you celebrated this weekend. My afternoon class was cancelled on Thursday so I was able to make it to my sister's senior dance recital before a long weekend.**

 **Sorry if you're having issues with the chapters, I accidently deleted the Prologue and had to sort that shit out. I think I have it all figured out, but let me know if something seems off.**

 **And now, to the story.  
**

* * *

 **A real date?**

* * *

For the next couple of months, Lorelai tried to figure out what she was going to do with her life, what path she wanted to take, where she wanted to go. Lorelai's Inn reviews were good, great even, so she earned the permanent job at the inn. A permanent job means a permanent living situation. That's when she started looking for a house.

"Luke, what do you think of this one?" She asked, holding up a picture of an expensive three-story house.

"It's too big for two people," he said. "Too expensive. The upkeep on that yard alone would run you dry." She took another look.

"I guess you're right," she said. "I don't even own a lawn mower." She flipped through listing after listing before she found it. The perfect house.

"What about this one?" She pointed to a two story house she recognized from visiting Babette and Morey.

"It needs a lot of work," Luke said.

"Don't we all," Lorelai smiled. "I really like it."

"It suits you. And… I could help fix up the place, if you needed," he offered, looking up at her through his brows like he always did. Lorelai smiled at him.

"I'll pay you," she said.

"Nah, think of it as a birthday present. When is your birthday, by the way?"

"April," she said, remembering that they weren't speaking around that time. He nodded.

"Oh, well then an early half birthday present, then," he bumbled. She smiled and accepted. Later that week, she met with the owner and Luke helped her negotiate a price. He helped her and Rory move out of their apartment, using his truck to pack their things.

"You have too much stuff," he scolded as he carried out two boxes filled solely of sweaters. Due to procrastination, Lorelai was packing as he carried things out. She was almost done with her clothes when she remembered she had a load in the drier. She took a box and headed to the hallway to pack it straight from the drier. As she shoveled the clothes in, Luke came over.

"Lorelai, that's not efficient."

"What?"

"You gotta fold it, more will fit," he said.

"Folding takes too long," she whined. "Besides, we have plenty of boxes."

"I'm not carrying more boxes than necessary. Here, I'll do it, you work on the rest of your bedroom," he said.

"What if these are my _unmentionables_?" She feigned offense. Luke just held out his hands. Lorelai dug through, making sure a thong didn't find its way in. She handed over the box and went back to her room.

"Hey Lorelai?" Luke called, sounding uncertain. _Did I miss something? If he's holding a pair of panties..._ She walked back out to the living room, where he had been neatly folding her darks. He was holding the blue flannel he had given her almost a year ago.

"Oh, yeah, that's yours. It's clean now," she said with an embarrassed smile. "You can have it back, obviously."

"Do you wear it?" He asked.

"Um, yeah," Lorelai said, not wanting to give away too much. In reality, she loved that shirt. She wore it constantly.

"Why didn't you buy your own then?" He asked, sounding more curious than annoyed or angry.

"Well, I wear it when I'm feeling lazy or I need something soft or…" She knew she was blushing.

"Or?" Luke prompted, a small smile twitching at his lip.

"Comforting, comfortable, cozy. It's my go-to bad day shirt," she admitted. "I totally meant to give it back, but, you know, we didn't talk for a while—which was when I wore it most actually—and I kind of just thought is as mine. But take it, it's yours," she said, holding her hands up as if to say _I'm out_. Luke looked down at the shirt, felt the material in his hands, then folded it and put it in the box.

"What are you doing?" Lorelai asked.

"Keep it," Luke said as he resumed folding her clothes.

"Really? Because I can just buy a new one like you said."

"I don't mind," he said. He looked up at her. "It's yours."

"Thanks, I really love the shirt," Lorelai said with a smile. He gave her a nod, finished packing, and then took it out to his truck.

* * *

"What should we name it?" Lorelai asked Rory as they walked up to the house. Luke drove up behind them with the rest of their things.

"Does it need a name?" Rory asked, carrying a box of books.

"Yeah! All great houses have names. Like the Wayne Manor or Buckingham Palace," Lorelai listed.

"Um… what about the crap shack?" Luke said, walking up behind them with two boxes.

"Come on, it isn't that bad," Lorelai defended. But after trying out some more names, that's the only thing that stuck. "Fine, Crap Shack it is."

The Gilmore's first week at the house was spent fixing, painting and decorating, all while working around half unpacked boxes. Luke did most of the hard work, obviously, but the girls were good supervisors. Lorelai felt strong and successful, finally having her own space, her own permanent home. As much as she liked the apartment, she felt happier, more stable, and more connected to the community in that house. It didn't hurt that Luke was around all the time either.

Luke came by almost every day to fix one thing or another. First it was the porch railing, then the gutters, then the locks. She liked seeing him around. She really appreciated his help too. She thought about taking him out to dinner to thank him, but after last time, she decided against it.

"It doesn't look too bad," he said after he finished fishing the front stairs. Lorelai had brought out a couple of beers, and they were sitting on the porch chairs.

"Yeah, thanks to you and Bert," Lorelai smiled.

"Make sure everyone knows you named by toolbox, okay?"

"Not a chance," she smiled at him. "Do you wanna stay for dinner? Tonight is mac-n-cheese night."

"No thanks, I should be getting back to the diner. Caesar has a date tonight and can't close."

"Lucky kid," Lorelai said. Luke finished his beer and stood up to go. Lorelai stood with him, reaching out for his elbow when he turned away. "Thanks for all your help, it means a lot," she said. Luke turned toward her, looking at her hand on him.

"It's not a big deal, I like helping out. I'll see you tomorrow," he said before walking out of her light grip. Since Anna left, Luke never _asked_ if he would see Lorelai later, he knew he would. Lorelai liked having him back in her life. Things were good between Luke and Lorelai, platonic-good. They never talked about the months they didn't speak. They didn't talk about anything beyond the surface, beyond the now. They were friends. But Lorelai wanted more.

* * *

By the end of November, the weather man said to expect snow any day. Luke would see Lorelai every day from Thanksgiving to the first week of December, looking out the window. Luke heard from Miss Patty that Lorelai told Sookie that Lorelai liked having Luke back in her life. That fact alone made Luke hopeful. On November 30th, Lorelai ordered a coffee, smiling too much to be normal. On such a dark day for him, Luke was glad to see someone happy.

"What's up?" He asked, hoping her good mood wasn't due to another guy.

"I smell snow," she said. Relief passed over him before he rolled his eyes in fake annoyance, but then he smirked at her.

"Well finally, the weather man has been wrong all week. Tonight?"

"In the next hour, probably," she said. "I'm going to wait outside for it."

"Don't stay out too long," he called after her. She sat on the bench across from the diner for three hours, and still, no snow. It was dark, only the park lights making Lorelai visible when Luke closed for the night. He poured the last of the coffee into the biggest mug he had, and started to bring it out to her when he saw her talking on the phone. She watched as she animatedly talked and yelled at the person on the other line before angrily flipping the phone shut. Luke waited a beat before walking out to her.

"You okay?" He asked. Lorelai wiped her eye, trying to catch a tear.

"It isn't snowing," she pouted, taking the coffee. Luke knew it wasn't that, but went along with it.

"Maybe your nose is broken," he said as he sat next to her, unsure of how the snow smelling gift worked.

"This blows," Lorelai groaned. Luke smirked and leaned closer to her.

"Dirty," he whispered, making Lorelai giggle a little bit.

"Good catch," she said. Her smile faded quickly. "Maybe this is a sign."

"A sign for what?"

"That this control I've had, being able to make decisions, trusting my instincts. Maybe that's done now."

"Lorelai—"

"No, I mean, what if I'm losing it. There was a small kitchen fire at the inn today, Rory got a B on a paper, my parents are trying to give me money, there's so much going on that I can't control. I thought that buying a house would give me a sense of stability, but it didn't help."

Luke didn't know what to say. He wasn't good at comforting women. He was in the same position as last December. That time of year probably wasn't the best for her either. He wanted to be there for her, but he didn't want to ruin their friendship, again. He put his arm around her and she leaned into him.

"This wasn't how it was supposed to go," she sighed.

"What do you mean?"

"I was supposed to live happily ever after with Chris." At Lorelai's mention of her ex, Luke's empty hand balling into a fist. "We were supposed to raise our daughter together. But that ended a year ago. I thought that... I thought that for once in my life, I would be in control. My parents, my husband, no one has power over me, but I still can't control anything. And things keep changing here. Where I live, who I talk to. Change is hard."

"When we were painting the diner, you told me that change can be good. If anyone can deal with change, it's you."

"Thanks Luke. It's just... I haven't talked to my parents in months, besides when they called yesterday offering to pay for Chilton. Then right before you came out, my mother basically called me a charity case while offering me money, it made no sense. Sookie and Jackson are getting married in a few months, I don't have a lot of people who I can… talk to, you know? Everyone has their own stuff to worry about," she said, her voice cracking. She took a breath and looked up at him. "I know what today is."

"What do you mean?"

"Sookie told me to try to avoid your diner if possible today. Everyone in town knew your dad, and Sookie was able to piece it together. She said that ever since... your dad, that today, historically, you do not provide quality of service."

"Yeah, it's been 9 years today. At first, I wouldn't open the diner, I'd take the day and go fishing. I didn't want to talk to anyone. But when April came around, I knew that I couldn't always run off for the day. I needed to be there. So I work, I hate it, but it's what I do."

"See, you have your own stuff. You shouldn't be out here with me. You should be inside with a beer or something. I..." She sighed. "I hate that I miss being married. Just for a moment, I miss having someone to help me, I wish I had a partner, someone to pick up the slack. Someone to wait for the cable guy, to rub my feet at night, fix the gutters, make me coffee in the morning."

"You have me," Luke offered, knowing he would love to be that partner for her. She looked up at him.

"Really?"

"Yeah, I mean, I'm here now, aren't I?" He said, giving her a squeeze. "Plus I do half the stuff on that list anyway." She smiled as Luke realized that he almost completely told her how he felt.

"You are here. And you do a lot for me," Lorelai said. After a minute, Luke took his arm back from her.

"Look, I gotta apologize," he said, adjusting to face her more. "After we went out to dinner a while back, I didn't… I used April as an excuse, and I'm sorry for that. I just didn't want to get caught up in someone who… I guess I wasn't ready for anything…" He trailed off, not finding the words. "And when I thought I was ready, you found someone else."

"I'm sorry too," Lorelai said, shifting slightly away from him.

"What for?"

"I never really, officially, asked you… I could have been more clear, I should have directly asked you out," she said. "Also, I didn't mean to rub Max in your face."

"Oh, I didn't think that," he lied.

"Well, either way, I ended it with him before we went to Europe, I don't think I told you that," she said. He shook his head.

"No, but I figured it out," he said. She gave him a look that prompted him to explain. "Patty," was all he needed to say.

"And then I thought you were with Anna, so I didn't say anything then either," Lorelai admitted.

"We weren't together when you got back," he repeated.

"I know that now," she said. "And I'm glad you tried with her. I'm glad you gave it another chance with her. You're a good man for doing that, a good father."

"Yeah, well, I try," Luke said as they both relaxed and sat back, legs and sides touching. Their eyes were staring intently at the sky, hoping, wishing, praying for little white flakes to appear. But they didn't.

"How about now?" Luke asked after a little bit of silence.

"Now what?"

"Do you… do you wanna go out sometime?" He asked, trying to look her in the eye.

"A real date?" Lorelai asked as their eyes met, and they truly saw the other for the first time. They saw the potential of something good.

"Yeah," Luke confirmed, trying to sound more confident than he felt. Her face brightened with a huge smile. That smile of hers was lit up the square as it lit up his heart.

"That sounds great," she said. Luke wanted to kiss her. He leaned in to kiss her, but before he could, her phone rang. Lorelai sighed, looking a little flustered as she answered the phone.

"Hello? Rory, hey, what's up?" Lorelai's face softened. "Oh, okay, I'll be right there." She hung up and turned to Luke.

"I'm really sorry, um, girl issues, I gotta get home," she said, but didn't move. Luke didn't want her to move. He wanted to stay there with her the entire night, or at least until it snowed. But he knew Rory needed her mom.

"I'll see you tomorrow," Luke said, standing up to go back inside. Lorelai stood and stepped toward him, giving him a hug.

"Tomorrow," she whispered in his ear before kissing him on the cheek. She waved goodbye one last time before heading home. Luke got chills, and it wasn't because of the wind. No snow fell that night, but Luke felt the magic of the season already.

* * *

It wasn't until the next morning that Lorelai told Rory about the date. They were sitting in the diner at a table by the windows when Rory caught her mom making googly eyes at Luke.

"Mom, what's going on?" She asked.

"Um, Luke asked me out," Lorelai said. Rory's eyes went wide.

"What? How could you not tell me? When? Where? How?"

"Last night, when I was sitting outside waiting for it to snow. We talked for a while, clearing the air, and he asked me out. I didn't tell you last night because…" Rory had gotten in a big fight with Paris. It was over a forgotten Oxford comma in a Franklin piece Rory was supposed to proofread. The comma thing turned into an all out screaming match about how Rory was always picking boys over friends, even though Rory had been single for months.

"Yeah, well when are you going out?"

"I don't know, you called before we could set it up," she said. Luke came over.

"What can I get you," he said, business as usual.

"Hi," Lorelai flirted.

"Hey," he smiled back. Rory rolled her eyes as the adults shared a moment, just looking at each other.

"Get a room or take my order," Rory groaned, even though she approved of the relationship. Luke took their order then gestured for Lorelai to follow him to the counter.

"You look really good today," he said in a low voice. Lorelai smiled.

"Wow, is Luke Danes flirting?" she said.

"Trying to," he replied with a small, boyish smile. "Tonight I'll come up with something better. Got any plans?" He looked up at her.

"Just piles of laundry, why?"

"Wanna get dinner? I mean, we didn't really set anything yesterday before you had to go. If you can't tonight, we can do it some other time," he said. He held up a hand. "Dirty, I know, that's not what I meant." Lorelai beamed.

"I'd love to get dinner with you, 7:00?"

"7:00 is good, I'll pick you up," he said.

"Good," Lorelai said, feeling all kinds of giddy. "You gunna watch me walk away?" She asked.

"Maybe," Luke said shortly with a wink. She smirked and swung her hips a bit more, looking back and smiling at him. She sat down next to Rory.

"I have a date tonight," Lorelai said. Rory clapped her hands.

"Mom that's great. With whom?" Rory joked. Lorelai gave her the stink eye before asking what she should wear. She gave him googly eyes all throughout breakfast, to which he rolled his eyes and told her to stop, before giving her yet another small smile.

* * *

 **Personally, I love any/every scene where Luke comforts Lorelai. She lets her guard down and he softens because he completely cares about her. Some lines were borrowed from scenes including 4.17.  
**

 **There will be ONE MORE chapter, unless people would like an epilogue, like five/ten years later or something. I haven't written that yet, but if the people want, I shall supply.**

 **And as always, if you have any** **suggestions, requests, ideas, etc., let me know! This is your last chance before the final episode to let me know if you want a certain scene, moment, phrase, etc in the chapter. Make sure to let me know if you think the epilogue is a good idea or nah, I'm totally fine either way.  
**


	16. I Love Seeing You Happy

**Happy Friday everyone! Here in Wisconsin, it's a nice 60 degrees, finally shorts weather in my opinion.**

 **This is it, the last chapter (not counting the epilogue). Thank you all for sticking with it and for all the great feedback.**

* * *

 **I love seeing you happy**

* * *

Luke finished shaving and put on his best dress shirt. He tried to keep his nerves down, but they were about to get the best of him. This date was 15 months in the making. Ever since he saw her, Luke knew he wanted to be with Lorelai. He took one last look at himself in the mirror before heading out to Lorelai's, praying he wouldn't mess it up.

He drove up to Lorelai's at 7:05, assuming she wouldn't be ready exactly on time. Luke admired his handiwork as he walked up the—not squeaky—steps. He had put a lot of hours into that house. It looked less like a Crap Shack and more like an average shack. More importantly, it was the house of her dreams, and Luke made it a reality. He rang the doorbell and waited. After a minute, he pressed it again.

"One second!" He heard Lorelai yell from the inside. He shook his head and chuckled. A couple minutes later, Lorelai answered the door. Before he could compliment her, she beat him to it.

"Hey," she smiled. "You look nice, loving the tie."

"Oh, thanks, you look beautiful," he said as if he was saying the grass is green. It was a simple yet lovely fact. Lorelai blushed.

"Flattery will get you everywhere," she said smiling. Luke liked to see her smile like that.

"Ready?" He asked. Lorelai grabbed her coat and a purse.

"Let's hit the road," she said. He followed her to the passenger side of his truck and opened her door clumsily, causing some nervous laughter. Then he got behind the wheel and drove. He bought a U2 tape earlier that day so Lorelai had something to listen to if they didn't talk in the car. It was a mostly silent ride, but that was okay.

"Sniffy's Tavern?" Lorelai said as they walked to the door.

"Yup, it's sort of my place," he said. They entered and he walked right into the dining room and led her to a reserved table.

"Reserved? Wow, you put effort into this," she said. He shook his head.

"Not really. This is my table," Luke said, gesturing for her to sit down.

"You're table?"

"Yeah, well my parent's table, originally. We would come here every week when I was growing up." Just then, Maisy came over.

"Lucas, how are you?" She said as he stood up to give her a hug.

"I'm good, I'm good. Maisy, this is Lorelai," he said. They shook hands.

"So this is Lorelai? Our Lucas has talked about you," she said, much to Luke's embarrassment.

"Your Lucas?" Lorelai asked with a flirty smirk at Luke.

"Thanks, Maisy," Luke said. Then her husband, Buddy, came over and shook his hand. "Hey, Buddy."

"Hey kid, what'll you two be having tonight?" He asked. Before Luke or Lorelai could even look at the menu, Maisy and Buddy were talking about what they would make them. They left for the kitchen and Luke found Lorelai looking at him.

"What?" He asked, hoping he didn't miss a spot shaving.

"They _know_ you. Like really know you, Lucas."

"Yeah, I've known them my whole life. Maisy went to school with my mother. And Buddy, well, after my dad died and I wanted to turn the hardware store into the diner, he showed me the ropes," Luke shared.

"That's really nice," Lorelai said.

"Yeah, it is. And for thirty years, this has been my family's table. This reserved thingy," he said, pulling on the sign, trying to move it around, "is bolted to the table."

"That's amazing, Luke has a Luke's," Lorelai smiled.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said. Even though Buddy was already making their food, Lorelai look a look at the menu. She read the story out loud for Luke. He pretended to be a little annoyed, but he was glad she was having fun.

"Sniffy died?" She asked, shocked.

"True story," was all Luke had to say. Lorelai shook her head in disbelief, earning a small smile from her date.

"Hey Luke?" Lorelai started after a minute. By the way she said it, Luke expected a hard, _where is this thing going_ type question. Honestly, he knew where he wanted it to go. He knew how he felt. He just didn't know how she felt.

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember how we met? I know it was a year ago," Lorelai said. Luke, a little relieved, felt a blush coming on as he went over every detail of that September day in the diner. He remembered everything: where they were standing, what they said, and how he felt.

"And when you finally settled down and took a seat, you grabbed the newspaper and asked me for my birthday. When I got to you, you were tearing a horoscope out of the paper. It read: " _Today you will meet an annoying woman. Give her coffee and she'll go away,_ " he said, pulling out his wallet from his pocket.

"But I didn't go away," she smiled. _And thank God for that._

"You told me to hang on to it, said it would bring me luck." Luke pulled the horoscope out of his pocket.

"Luke, you actually held on to it?"

"A little luck wouldn't hurt. It's probably why I'm here right now."

"Yeah, you're welcome," Lorelai joked, her smile sincere. Luke looked at her, wanting to say something else, but Maisy and Buddy brought out their food before he could. Luke and Lorelai talked and flirted, picking on each other like they had been friends for years, like an old married couple. It was so comfortable, it just felt right.

* * *

When they got back to Lorelai's, Luke parked in front of her house. All the lights were out, so Lorelai figured that Rory had left for Lane's already.

"Where's Rory tonight?" Luke asked, reading her mind.

"Oh, she's at Lane's tonight. Mr. and Mrs. Kim are at a church retreat so the girls are eating junk food and listening to _the devil's music_ ," she said.

"Gotcha," Luke said. "Can I walk you to the door?" Lorelai smiled at the gentlemanly gesture.

"I'd be offended if you didn't," she joked. They got out and walked up, both examining the house.

"It doesn't look like much of a Crap Shack anymore," Luke voiced his earlier thoughts, admiring his handiwork once again. He hadn't done much fixing since the hardware store shut down besides odd jobs around town. He was glad he wasn't completely useless.

"Yeah, thanks to you," Lorelai said, nudging his side.

"It's nothing," he said bashfully.

"No Luke," she said, stopping before ascending the porch stairs. "It means a lot. This is the perfect house, and you were a huge part in it. You helped me pick this house, you helped me buy it, you helped us move and paint and fix everything. I don't know any other guy who would do that and consider it 'nothing,'" she said.

"Yeah, well," he said looking at the ground. Then he looked up. "I just like to see you happy." Lorelai blushed as her heart melted. She had never heard something so simple, so innocent, so perfect.

"Luke…" she started, but she couldn't think of anything to say. It was rare that Lorelai found herself at a loss for words. She originally thought Luke was this gruff man who was annoyed by her. But now, he was _finally_ reveling his true feelings.

"Lorelai, I need to tell you something," Luke said. She took a step away from him, preparing herself for rejection once again, because she got used to that feeling. She had such a good time on the date, too good to be true. Lorelai was reminded of just how much she wanted to be with Luke when he opened up to her about his dad, both when they were picking out colors and on the dark day. She wanted to hear more stories. She wanted to love him as much as possible.

"Okay," Lorelai breathed. "But first I have to say something. This last year... It has been difficult. With Chris and the Inn, I needed someone to complain to. Someone who would scold me for drinking coffee and make sure I don't overthink everything. Someone like you. But, I didn't realize how badly I needed you until I didn't have you anymore. I," she looked at him. "I need you." Lorelai braced herself for the worst, and was surprised when Luke took her hand in his.

"Lorelai, we've known each other for a year. I've watched you deal with highs and lows and everything in between. I don't want you to deal with any of that alone. Lorelai, what I'm saying..." she looked up at him, his blue eyes pouring into hers. "I'm all in. I want to be with you through everything. Good, bad, average, weird, strange, everything. I want to be the guy to fix things and rub your feet and make you coffee in the morning. I want to be there when you need me, but also when you don't need me. I'm all in, Lorelai." Luke was almost out of breath. Lorelai had never seen him rant like that before. And he was ranting about love. Lorelai looked at him, the intensity of his claim gave her goosebumps. Lorelai didn't know what to say.

So she kissed him. And it was everything she hoped it would be.

* * *

The kiss surprised Luke at first. He wasn't expecting anything more than a hug, even though he wanted much more than that. He wrapped his arms around her, kissing her softly and intensely at the same time. He felt a spark. When they met, she felt a connection.

"I'm all in too," Lorelai said breaking for air. "I am so in." Luke gently pulled her closer, put one hand on her waist, the other held the back of her head, and kissed her once more. This kiss was slower, deeper. Luke never wanted to stop kissing her. He realized then that he wanted to be with her forever.

A cool breeze hit them, and when they pulled apart from each other, Luke saw snow in Lorelai's hair.

"Lorelai," he said and pointed up to the sky where flakes were falling like a blanket above them. Lorelai had been so worried that she had lost her gift, that she couldn't smell snow, but at that moment, Luke knew that was all forgotten. Lorelai ran into the lawn and danced as the snow fell on her. He stood back and watched until she dragged him out to the middle of the yard.

"It's it beautiful?" She asked, wrapping her arms around his torso. Luke put one arm around her shoulders as he leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"Yeah," he agreed, not talking about the snow. The two of them stood there in the snow for a little longer before Lorelai walked up to her house.

"I'll see you tomorrow," he said in a soft voice, not wanting the night to end. Lorelai said nothing but pulled him in for one more kiss. Then another one. And another one, each more passionate than the last. The intensity grew until Luke found himself inside the house. Lorelai smiled at him as she closed the door behind them.

* * *

Luke and Lorelai laid in bed that night after some exceptional sex. Neither worried about going too fast, they had a year of foreplay leading up to it. They stayed there in bliss, Lorelai draped over his left side, Luke rubbing her back.

"I can't believe you kept that horoscope," Lorelai mused.

"You're just lucky I never clean out my wallet," Luke joked.

"Why did you keep it? I thought I was this annoying, uppity rich girl," Lorelai asked the question that had been on her mind for hours.

"I guess I wanted to remember you. You said you weren't coming back and... I don't know. I felt something I hadn't felt in a long time. Miss Patty tried to convince me that she saw sparks fly when we were talking, that there was this magical connection between us. I'd never admit it, but I felt something like that."

"I felt it too," Lorelai agreed.

"Patty was trying to convince me it was destiny that you came in that day. I didn't think about it because you said you weren't coming back. But then you came back that same day, and I was surprised. That entire day I was hoping that you would come back in to bother me, but I still didn't think you would. But when I saw you sitting at the counter, the _destiny_ comment popped through my head."

"Do you wanna know what I was thinking when I met you?" Lorelai asked.

"This guy is incredibly handsome?"

"Well yes," Lorelai said, which was news to Luke.

"Really?"

"Of course! Your beard was scruffy and you were a little frazzled. And when you were rude to me, it was refreshing. It was a challenge," Lorelai smirked. "But you know what got me?"

"Obviously."

"Your eyes. When I left, there was a moment, I mean, at least I thought there was a moment..."

"There was," Luke confirmed, thinking about when their eyes locked as she was leaving.

"But when I met you, when I came into that diner, it felt like destiny to me too. Like all of my choices led me there. My choice to stay with my parents, to raise Rory, to have that meeting with Mia, all of that led me to the diner," Lorelai explained, thinking about the Butterfly Effect theory that Rory was talking about earlier that week.

"I'm glad it did," Luke said.

"Me too," Lorelai hugged her body to his. "Luke?"

"Yeah?"

"Did you really mean it? Being all in?"

"Of course I did. I'm here to stay, Lorelai. I'm happy."

"So am I," Lorelai said. For the first time ever, she completely believed herself when she said that.

"I love seeing you happy," Luke said, surprising himself by using the L-word.

"I love being happy, with you," she said. Lorelai looked up at him and gave him a gentle kiss. As they fell asleep, they both knew that that night was the start of something good, something solid, something that would last forever.

* * *

 **Awe! Hehe I love happy endings, don't you?  
**

 **Now I have sort of started on the epilogue, so that should be up sometime next week.**

 **I don't know if LL will have kids in the epilogue, but I'd like some suggestions about names for Luke and Lorelia's potential child(ren), so leave some ideas in a review. Also, what do you think Rory will be up to? Will she marry Logan, or Jess, or be single? Give me your ideas people!**

 **Have a safe weekend and watch out for the update!**


	17. Epilogue

**Epilogue**

* * *

 **10 years later:**

Luke woke up one Saturday morning, his back against hers, and he instantly didn't want to go to work. He wanted to stay in bed and wake up with his wife in two hours, make breakfast for his family, and play catch with his kids. But, Lane's twins had a cold so she couldn't come in, and Saturday brunches were always busy since he added espresso drinks to the menu.

He rolled over and looked at his wife. Luke and Lorelai got married three years to the day from when they first met, and he loved every minute of it. Obviously, they had their ups and downs, especially during Christopher's rehabilitation, when her father had a heart attack, when Luke's uncle Louie died, and when Rory's heart got broken. Luke and Lorelai were there for each other through all of it. Through the good and bad and everything in between.

Luke got out of bed after kissing Lorelai's forehead. He got ready, putting on his favorite blue flannel and hat, and carefully walked downstairs, doing his best to avoid toys and stuffed animals. He checked on the kids. Each had their own room after Luke renovated the house seven years prior, adding two rooms on the first floor so April and Rory didn't have to share their room with a baby. The renovation also added two more bathrooms and a small office space that was basically a library.

Luke programmed the coffee machine to make coffee two hours later for Lorelai, then he went to work.

* * *

Lorelai woke up when Luke kissed her forehead that morning. She loved hearing his morning routine. Turn off alarm. Kiss wife. Brush teeth. Put on clothes. Slap on blue hat. Walk downstairs. Curse at some toy. Check on kids. Make coffee. Leave for work. That was Lorelai's AM playlist. She fell back asleep for a little while longer before getting up for good.

Her coffee was warm as she sipped it, enjoying the last moments of quiet she'd have all day. As if on cue, Lorelai heard light footsteps walk toward the kitchen.

"Morning, Mom," her son said. James William Danes was 7 years old and the spitting image of his father. Jimmy shared Lorelai's sense of humor, which she planned on using against Luke in the future.

"Morning sweetie, are your sisters awake?" She asked, knowing half the answer already.

"Sammy is, I don't think April will be for a while yet. I heard her talking in her sleep," Jimmy said. "She was up all night researching different telescopes."

"Yeah, she just became president of Chilton's astronomy club," Lorelai said. "So she's probably really excited about that."

"When am I going to go to Chilton?" Jimmy asked. Lorelai brushed her fingers through his think brown hair.

"After you finish middle school, we'll talk about it," Lorelai said. This kid was smart, just like his older sisters, but Lorelai wanted him to have the small-town experience Rory wished she had. When April was in the 8th grade, the headmaster of Chilton came to their house to personally invite her to attend the school for her high school years.

Sammy started whining from her bedroom, so Lorelai set down her cup of coffee before greeting the youngest of the Danes family.

"Mommy?" Little Sammy called from her bedroom. Samantha Victoria was born about five years ago. She was a spitting image of Lorelai.

"Good morning, Sunshine," Lorelai picked up her daughter and kissed her on the cheek. "Ready to go see daddy?"

"I want pancakes," Sammy said with a big smile.

"Me too, and I'm sure Daddy is already making them as we speak. Do you wanna pick out your clothes?" Lorelai asked. Sammy nodded and skipped to her closet. "Jimmy, can you get dressed so we can go to breakfast please?" Lorelai looked at the clock. It was 9:30 and April was still asleep. Lorelai knew teenagers needed their rest, but today was a special day for the Danes gang.

Lorelai walked down the hall to Rory's old room and knocked on April's door. Hearing April groan as the knocking continued, Lorelai opened the door.

"It's time to get up," she said. April covered her head with the pillow. "Come on, I have a huge dilemma I need your opinion on." Lorelai lifted the pillow from April's head.

"Whaaaat," April groaned, trying to pull the covers over her head. Lorelai sat on the bed next to her step daughter.

"Am I more beautiful today than I was yesterday?"

"Oh boy," April sighed. Lorelai loved to joke around with her kids, making sure they all felt loved and happy, even when she was bothering them and making them wake up before noon.

"I'm just not sure. I mean at first I looked in the mirror and I thought, well yes, definitely, huge improvement."

"Can I have my pillow back?" April asked. Lorelai stood with the pillow in hand.

"But then I thought maybe it's not that I'm more beautiful today. Maybe I was just as beautiful yesterday, only I lacked the self-esteem to recognize it."

"You're 42, you don't have self-esteem anymore," April whined some more. "Mère, can't I skip Saturday breakfast today?" Since Lorelai was a huge part of April's life, Anna didn't mind April calling Lorelai "Mère," which is the French word for mother that April learned in second grade. Anna knew that Luke and Lorelai were going to last, and she didn't have a problem with the nickname. In fact, Anna felt glad that April had one more person looking after and loving her daughter. Luke and Anna shared custody, but since Chilton was closer to Stars Hollow than Woodbridge, Luke had April during most week days.

"You can't skip it today, sorry babe. There'll be a surprise at the diner and you can't miss it. Up and at 'em, put on some sweats and we can leave," Lorelai gave April a kiss on the cheek before leaving the 16 year-old's room.

Luke checked the time. It was almost 10 o'clock, meaning his family would be strolling in any moment now. He started a fresh pot of coffee and checked their table. Inspired by his family's table at the tavern, Luke bolted a reserved sign to a table at the end of the counter, by the windows. Soon enough, he watched as his beautiful wife walked in with their kids.

"Good morning, hun," Lorelai said as she kissed her husband hello.

"Morning. How were they?" He asked about the kids.

"The loin-fruits were fine. Sammy dressed herself, are you surprised by her outfit of choice?" Lorelai asked with an amused smirk. Luke shook his head and chuckled lightly. They had just started Sammy in the 'Squirts' baseball team, which Luke helped coach. It came with a jersey, which Sammy wore all the time, along with a blue baseball cap, 'just like Daddy's.'

"We got the next pitcher for the Yankees, right here," Luke said, lifting his youngest daughter up to kiss her cheeks. "Jimmy and April?"

"Jimmy was fine, but April," Lorelai turned to her. "She couldn't decide if I looked more beautiful today or yesterday," Lorelai joked. April, in a better mood now, rolled her eyes but smiled, just like her dad.

"Like wine, you get better with age," Luke flirted.

"Luke Danes, are you flirting with me?" That question came up every so often as a recurring bit between the two.

"Trying to," he smiled. "What does everyone want?" He asked. The kids ordered their typical garbage with a side of fruit, but Luke paused when Lorelai ordered a double serving of the French toast special.

"You aren't eating for two, are you?" Luke asked. He loved his kids, but three at home and one away was enough for him.

"I'm not pregnant, but it is for my child."

"Your child?" Luke asked before his face brightened when the door opened. "Rory!" He greeted.

"Hey Mom, Pops," she said, hugging her mom, then Luke, then her siblings.

"Where's Marty and the baby?" Luke asked. Rory started calling Luke "Pops" after her daughter was born, because that's what Luke decided he wanted to be called. "Grandpa" sounded too old for him.

"They're parking the car," Rory said to Lorelai's surprise. "It's Jessie's turn to pump the breaks," Rory joked. "They'll be right in. Did you order?"

"Just enough for you, I didn't know you were bringing your entourage," Lorelai smiled as Marty and Jessie came in. "There's my little princess," Lorelai gushed. Jessie was about a year old, named of course after Rory's cousin, Jess. She and Jess were best friends after Luke and Lorelai got together. Rory was even editing Jess' newest book.

"How long are you staying? Do you want to stay in the apartment?" Lorelai offered. Whenever Rory came home with her family, they would stay in Luke's old apartment.

"Yeah, we'll be here for a week, if that's okay," Marty said.

"That's not a problem," Luke shook Marty's hand, smiling at his son-in-law.

"I have an announcement," Rory said after saying hi to her siblings.

"I have a n-announce-y-ment too," Jimmy said. "I got an A on my spelling test!" He told Rory, who gave him a high-five.

"I play baseball!" Sammy yelled. Jimmy shushed her, making her pout.

"I'm the new president of the astronomy club," April beamed at Rory. Together, they shared a love of space. It all started when Rory showing her that science book so long ago in the diner. That encounter alone inspired April to pursue science. Rory always felt a bit jealous of her siblings. They grew up with two parents (three in April's case) that were very active in raising them, where Rory barely had one. She was glad that her siblings had a better life, and that's how she wanted to raise her children.

"Mom," Rory said after catching up with her siblings. Lorelai was showing Baby Jessie the artwork the kids had made over the years.

"That's the house Jimmy drew last week, and the flower Sammy colored, and this, this is my favorite," Lorelai said in baby voice, pointing at a yellowed paper that had been on the wall for 10 years. "Your Auntie April drew this when she was 6 years old. See? That's me, and grandpa, and your mommy, and April. Your grandpa kept it for 10 years. That's a crazy long time to keep something," Lorelai. Then she turned to Luke and said in her normal voice. "Almost as crazy as keeping a horoscope in a wallet for a decade too." Luke rolled his eyes.

"Mom," Rory tried to get Lorelai's attention. Marty grabbed Jessie as Luke set down a mashed banana for her. "Mom!" Rory yelled. The diner fell silent. Miss Patty, Babette, and Morey, as well as a dozen other members of Stars Hollow looked over.

"Yeah?" Lorelai said, worried about her daughter's news.

"I'm pregnant," Rory beamed. Lorelai looked at Marty, the naked guy Rory found during her first weeks of college. They dated at Yale and got married the year after graduation. They had Jessie Leigh a year after that, and now another one was on the way.

Hugs and kisses and congratulations flooded the diner. Miss Patty and Babette broke out into song. As the commotion settled down, Lorelai went behind the counter to refill her coffee mug. Luke joined her, stealing a quick kiss. They looked upon their every growing family.

"I love seeing them happy," Lorelai said.

"I love seeing you happy," Luke said, repeating the mantra of their relationship. They kissed once more before returning to their weekly family breakfast.

* * *

That night when Luke and Lorelai were getting into bed, Luke noticed an expression on Lorelai's face. He knew it wasn't her _pre-argument_ face, it definitely wasn't the _I-forgot-to-do-something_ face, and unfortunately it wasn't her _sexy_ face either. Nope, he recognized the expression as her _pondering_ face.

"Whatcha thinking about?" Luke asked, pulling back the blanket to get in. Lorelai shrugged as she got settled.

"Just our life. How many great things have come from it. How awesome our family is."

"And to think, none of this would have happened if you had gone to Weston's instead of my diner that day."

"Well, those butterflies in front of your diner looked so cute, I had to choose it."

"And that's when Hurricane Lorelai Gilmore entered my life."

"You're welcome," Lorelai joked. Luke nodded.

"Thank you," he said with a kiss.

* * *

 **There it is! Happily ever after for our favorite couple.**

 **James (Jimmy) William: Jimmy is a reference to Jimmy Buffett, who is apparently Luke's favorite music artist (3.04). I imagined Lorelai suggesting it as a joke, but they ended up liking it for real.**

 **Samantha Victoria: I wrote it as a nod to Sam Phillips, the singer of 'Reflecting Light,' the song Luke and Lorelai danced to at Liz' wedding as well as the 'Fall' episode of the revival. Luke's Yankee's comment was based of off Scott Patterson being on the Yankee roster in the 80's.**

 **April: I figured that Anna and Lorelai would get along better, and Lorelai had input regarding school, which is why April followed in Rory's footsteps. Also, April would have started learning French as soon as possible, hence the Mère comment. April and Rory shared Rory's room until the renovations, where April had her own room. After Rory moved out and Sammy was born, April moved back into Rory's room.  
**

 **Rory: So honestly, I didn't think-in this story-that she would end up with any of the guys from the show. Dean was a good first bf, as the writers have said, but they didn't have any interaction in my story, due to her already going to Chilton. I liked Jess (I ship them if anything) but they're cousins now and that's weird in my opinion. Rory would have had an aversion to rich guys when going to Yale, due to her father, so she wouldn't have gone out with Logan(plus I hated that Rory had the affair with Logan in the revival). I liked Marty in the original series, as I have always been a fan of the "best friends fall in love" trope.**

 **I am currently working on another GG story, so be sure to check that out in a few weeks. It'll be called "Gilmore Guys."**

 **Let me know what you thought of my story! What were your favorite parts? Favorite lines? What moments from the show did you wish could have been in here? (Maybe I'll incorporate them into my next story.)**

 **Thank you so much for reading!**


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